TY - JOUR
T1 - Quantity and quality of care and staff knowledge regarding people with Parkinson’s disease in long-term nursing care
T2 - “real-life” results from the German Care4PD study
AU - Fründt, Odette
AU - Lamb, Verena Caroline
AU - Hanff, Anne Marie
AU - Mai, Tobias
AU - Kirchner, Christiane
AU - Amouzandeh, Ali
AU - Buhmann, Carsten
AU - Krüger, Rejko
AU - Schnitzler, Alfons
AU - Südmeyer, Martin
N1 - Funding:
The author(s) declared that financial support was received for this
work and/or its publication. This research was funded by Prof. Dr.
Klaus Thiemann Stiftung (no grant number available).
Copyright © 2026 Fründt, Lamb, Hanff, Mai, Kirchner, Amouzandeh, Buhmann, Krüger, Schnitzler and Südmeyer.
PY - 2026/1/2
Y1 - 2026/1/2
N2 - Introduction: Approximately 20% of people with Parkinson’s disease (PwP) in Germany need professional long-term care (LTC). Previous data have indicated a rather poor LTC situation and the need for more profound analyses. Therefore, we aimed to assess the quantity and quality of LTC care for PwP and the knowledge on Parkinson’s disease (PD) in German LTC nursing staff. Methods: Data from our nationwide, cross-sectoral Care4PD survey, which was distributed postally and online, were analyzed. Out of 295 completed anonymous LTC nurse questionnaires, 288 were included, with descriptive results presented in this study. Results: In terms of age and work experience, a representative sample of 288 participants, the majority (79%) of whom were registered LTC nurses, participated in the study. A total of 95% of them had certain experience with people with Parkinson’s disease (PwP). On average, each nurse supported approximately three PwP per week, with a mean care time of 48 min per day. A total of 17% of participants complained about “never” having enough staff, and 50% complained about “frequently changing” LTC personnel in their institution. Additionally, 10% reported “unsafe” care quality, with the occurrence of avoidable complications. Insufficient knowledge on PD and the importance of PD-specialized training were highlighted, with current training options often not recognized. Optimization suggestions consisted of more personnel and time capacities, educational measures, and interprofessional exchange. Discussion/conclusion: Improving PwP care in German LTC facilities requires not only the general provision of more personnel and time resources but also, in particular, the development of greater expertise among LTC nursing staff to optimize care quality. The existing, but little-known, training opportunities should therefore be made known to a larger number of LTC nurses.
AB - Introduction: Approximately 20% of people with Parkinson’s disease (PwP) in Germany need professional long-term care (LTC). Previous data have indicated a rather poor LTC situation and the need for more profound analyses. Therefore, we aimed to assess the quantity and quality of LTC care for PwP and the knowledge on Parkinson’s disease (PD) in German LTC nursing staff. Methods: Data from our nationwide, cross-sectoral Care4PD survey, which was distributed postally and online, were analyzed. Out of 295 completed anonymous LTC nurse questionnaires, 288 were included, with descriptive results presented in this study. Results: In terms of age and work experience, a representative sample of 288 participants, the majority (79%) of whom were registered LTC nurses, participated in the study. A total of 95% of them had certain experience with people with Parkinson’s disease (PwP). On average, each nurse supported approximately three PwP per week, with a mean care time of 48 min per day. A total of 17% of participants complained about “never” having enough staff, and 50% complained about “frequently changing” LTC personnel in their institution. Additionally, 10% reported “unsafe” care quality, with the occurrence of avoidable complications. Insufficient knowledge on PD and the importance of PD-specialized training were highlighted, with current training options often not recognized. Optimization suggestions consisted of more personnel and time capacities, educational measures, and interprofessional exchange. Discussion/conclusion: Improving PwP care in German LTC facilities requires not only the general provision of more personnel and time resources but also, in particular, the development of greater expertise among LTC nursing staff to optimize care quality. The existing, but little-known, training opportunities should therefore be made known to a larger number of LTC nurses.
KW - Parkinson’s disease
KW - long-term care
KW - nursing
KW - quality
KW - quantity
KW - staff knowledge
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105027659022
UR - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41551754/
U2 - 10.3389/fnagi.2025.1701254
DO - 10.3389/fnagi.2025.1701254
M3 - Article
C2 - 41551754
AN - SCOPUS:105027659022
SN - 1663-4365
VL - 17
JO - Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
JF - Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
M1 - 1701254
ER -