Accessibility of device-aided therapies for persons with Parkinson's disease in Poland

Katarzyna Smilowska; Tomasz Pietrzykowski; K Ray Chaudhuri; Bastiaan R Bloem; Daniel J van Wamelen

doi:10.14802/jmd.23172

Accessibility of device-aided therapies for persons with Parkinson's disease in Poland

J Mov Disord. 2023 Nov 20. doi: 10.14802/jmd.23172. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Katarzyna Smilowska^{1

2}, Tomasz Pietrzykowski³, K Ray Chaudhuri^{4

5}, Bastiaan R Bloem², Daniel J van Wamelen^{2

5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, 5th Regional Hospital in Sosnowiec, Poland.
² Radboud University Medical Centre; Donders institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour; Department of Neurology; Centre of Expertise for Parkinson & Movement Disorders; Nijmegen; the Netherlands.
³ Research Centre for Public Policy and Regulatory Governance, Faculty of Law and Administration, University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland.
⁴ King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, department of basic and clinical neuroscience, London, United Kingdom.
⁵ Parkinson's Foundation Center of Excellence, King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London, United Kingdom.
⁶ King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, department of neuroimaging, London, United Kingdom.

PMID: 37980901
DOI: 10.14802/jmd.23172

Abstract

Background: Access to care for people with Parkinson's disease (PD), in particular to device-aided therapies (DAT), is not equally distributed.

Objectives: To analyse accessibility to DAT (deep brain stimulation; intraduodenal levodopa pump therapy; or apomorphine pump therapy) in Poland.

Methods: We analysed the distribution of DAT use in Poland by determining the number of persons with PD receiving one of the three DATs during 2015-2021.

Results: In 2021 the number of persons receiving DAT in Poland was 0.56% of the total PD population, having increased from 0.21% in 2015. Overall, deep brain stimulation was the preferred DAT in Poland, but strong regional differences in the use of the other DAT were present. Accessibility to DAT was negatively associated with average annual income (p<0.001).

Conclusions: Access to DAT for PD in Poland is still limited and accessibility showed strong regional differences, although its general increase over the last decade is encouraging.

Keywords: Parkinson’s disease; device-aided therapies.