Connectedness of Healthcare Professionals in Parkinson's Disease Treatment
Author Information
Author(s): Michel Wensing, Martijn van der Eijk, Jan Koetsenruijter, Bastiaan R Bloem, Marten Munneke, Marjan Faber
Primary Institution: Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre
Hypothesis
How does connectedness between healthcare professionals influence the treatment of patients with Parkinson's disease?
Conclusion
Higher caseloads and hospital affiliations are associated with stronger professional connectedness among healthcare providers treating Parkinson's disease.
Supporting Evidence
- 96 out of 104 health professionals provided data, indicating a high participation rate.
- Health professionals treating ≥10 PD patients had higher values on most network measures.
- Primary care professionals had lower values on most network measures compared to hospital-based professionals.
Takeaway
This study looked at how well healthcare workers who treat Parkinson's disease know each other, and found that those who treat more patients are better connected.
Methodology
An observational study where 104 health professionals reported their professional contacts in a newly established network.
Potential Biases
The study may have biases related to self-reported data and the specific context of a newly established network.
Limitations
The findings may not be generalizable beyond the specific network studied, and the measure of professional contacts was not validated against a gold standard.
Participant Demographics
Participants included various health professionals, with 44 physiotherapists, and a mix of those working in primary care and hospital settings.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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