Rationale and key points

Hospital admissions can be challenging for people with Parkinson’s disease, in part because of the lack of understanding, among some healthcare professionals, of the importance of administering antiparkinsonian medicines on time. This article outlines the steps that nurses can take to optimise medicines management for people with Parkinson’s disease who are admitted to hospital.

• Pharmacotherapy is the primary treatment for Parkinson’s disease and aims to increase dopamine levels in the brain to relieve symptoms.

• People with Parkinson’s disease require careful administration, titration, adjustment and monitoring of their antiparkinsonian medicines regimen, which is highly individualised.

• It is crucial that people with Parkinson’s disease take their antiparkinsonian medicines at exactly the right time, since the inaccurate timing of these medicines can have significant adverse health implications.

Reflective activity

‘How to’ articles can help to update your practice and ensure it remains evidence-based. Apply this article to your practice. Reflect on and write a short account of:

• How this article might improve your practice when undertaking medicines management for people with Parkinson’s disease in hospital.

• How you could use this information to educate nursing students or your colleagues on optimising medicines management for people with Parkinson’s disease in hospital.