Feeney Megan, Duda John, Hiller Amie, Phillips Jay, Evers Christiana, Yarab Nicole, Todaro Veronica, Rader Lydia, Rosenfeld Sheera
Parkinson's Foundation, New York, NY, United States.
Parkinson's Disease Research, Education and Clinical Center of the Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Department of Neurology of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
Front Neurol. 2022 Aug 11;13:924999. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2022.924999. eCollection 2022.
Among Veterans, it is estimated that 110,000 are living with Parkinson's disease (PD) in the United States. Whether or not Veterans living with PD are enrolled in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), they may require special considerations when it comes to their care. We administered a survey to Parkinson's Foundation constituents with PD who had previously reported their Veteran status. Our goal was to identify areas where intervention can lead to improved health outcomes for Veterans living with Parkinson's disease. We specifically wanted to examine 1) the proportion of our Veteran constituents receiving services through the VHA, 2) the comprehensive care services that were utilized by Veterans living with PD, and 3) self-reported mental health and mobility status. We also wanted to compare those receiving care within and outside the VHA to see where there may be areas for improvement. With a response rate of 29.8% we received surveys from 409 United States Veterans with PD. As expected, mental health (MH) concerns in the previous 12 months were common with 36.0% of Veterans reporting concerns. Only 22.1% of respondents received care through VHA. Respondents with more falls and mental health concerns as well as those with higher levels of education and younger age were more likely to be seen at a VHA facility. In this sample, education level, household income, marital status, and VHA status were positively associated with increased health care utilization among Veterans. Those seen within the VHA were more likely to utilize MH and speech and language pathology consultation. This study highlights the importance of targeting educational outreach about care best practices for Veterans living with PD beyond VHA's current reach as well as the importance of access to good MH resources.
据估计，在美国退伍军人中，有11万人患有帕金森病（PD）。无论患有帕金森病的退伍军人是否加入了退伍军人健康管理局（VHA），在他们的护理方面都可能需要特殊考虑。我们对帕金森病基金会中曾报告过退伍军人身份的帕金森病患者进行了一项调查。我们的目标是确定哪些领域的干预措施可以改善帕金森病退伍军人的健康状况。我们特别想研究：1）通过VHA接受服务的退伍军人患者比例；2）患有帕金森病的退伍军人所使用的综合护理服务；3）自我报告的心理健康和行动能力状况。我们还想比较在VHA内部和外部接受护理的患者，以找出可能需要改进的领域。我们收到了409名患有帕金森病的美国退伍军人的调查问卷，回复率为29.8%。正如预期的那样，在过去12个月中，心理健康（MH）问题很常见，36.0%的退伍军人报告有此类问题。只有22.1%的受访者通过VHA接受护理。跌倒次数更多、有心理健康问题以及教育水平较高和年龄较小的受访者更有可能在VHA设施接受治疗。在这个样本中，教育水平、家庭收入、婚姻状况和VHA身份与退伍军人医疗保健利用率的提高呈正相关。在VHA接受治疗的患者更有可能使用心理健康以及言语和语言病理学咨询服务。这项研究强调了针对VHA目前覆盖范围之外的帕金森病退伍军人开展护理最佳实践教育宣传的重要性，以及获得优质心理健康资源的重要性。
