Grant: Operating Grant - PA: Psychosocial Research Parkinson's Disease

A frequent by-product of success in medical research is that a knowledge and practice gap may develop between subspecialty experts in the field and clinicians who conduct daily treatment of patients. In this situation, a new priority emerges, to ensure that the standard of care is provided to all patients suffering from the condition. The field of Parkinson's disease (PD) has recently advanced to this point. There is now abundant evidence that non-motor features, such as depression, dementia, constipation, urinary troubles, and sleep disorders are major treatable contributors to disability in PD. The variety and scope of these manifestations is bewilderingly diverse, and consequently they are frequently missed or undertreated. The present study consists of a three-pronged strategy to improve detection and treatment of non-motor manifestations. The first phase will be to translate and validate a French version of a non-motor screening questionnaire (the NMS-Quest). The second phase will be to design patient and physician guides for using the screening questionnaire. The patient guide will provide a summary of clinical features of non-motor manifestations, along with simple management strategies. The physician guide will include a booklet on recognition and treatment of non-motor manifestations, and a summary sheet to be used as a quick office reference. The third phase will be to conduct a feasibility trial to test if screening helps detect non-motor manifestations. Patients will be given the NMS-Quest before their clinical visit, and will bring it to the visit to be discussed with their physicians. The proportion of manifestations detected and treated will be compared before and after use of the screen. Non-motor manifestations of PD are major sources of under-recognized and under-treated disability, translating into a major unmet need. This application is designed to bridge the knowledge gap to ensure quality of care for all those living with PD.