Vijiaratnam Nirosen, Sue Carolyn M
Department of Neurology, Western Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Department of Neurogenetics and Centre of Excellence for Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Intern Med J. 2018 Apr;48(4):472-474. doi: 10.1111/imj.13757.
Levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel offers superior treatment to standard oral therapy in selective patients with advanced Parkinson disease. The costs involved in instituting and maintaining this treatment are high but largely mitigated with the quality of life years the treatment offers. Key to this is ensuring a high retention rate once the treatment is instituted. We outline factors and considerations from our experience and viewpoints at each stage of the process to address in this 'journey' patients undertake that can help maximise retention rates and benefits.