The expected role of Parkinson's disease nurses in Japan

Abstract

Medications such as dopamine replacement therapy and device–aided therapies (DAT) have made it possible to maintain long–term physical function in Parkinson disease (PD) patients, but the role of nurses for caring PD patients with long–term course is increasing. It is necessary PD nurses to accurately understand the patient's symptoms and take care to provide the necessary care and information to the needs of the patients and their family according to the stage of the disease. In the advanced stage of PD, various decision–making support such as introduction of DAT is required in addition to support for daily life of patients and their family. PD nurses accurately assess the care of the patient and their families' needs and act as a spokesperson for the patient and caregiver. PD nurses can also play an important role in planning, acting, assessing, with interdisciplinary cooperation in patient–centered plan. Therefore, it is an urgent task to train PD nurses, who have a good understanding of the patient's condition and treatment and can provide appropriate support that is close to the patient and their family.