How Community Nurse Practitioners Screen for Parkinson’s Disease in the Community

Abstract

                Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder commonly found in the elderly. Patients with Parkinson’s disease typically exhibit movement problems such as bradykinesia, rigidity, unstable posture, and tremor resulting in a poor quality of life for patients and their families. Screening new Parkinson’s disease cases in the community is a challenge for community nurse practitioners because individual patients will present with unique symptoms. Therefore, clinical knowledge about Parkinson’s disease, history taking skills, physical examination skills, and observation follow up skills will assist the community nurse practitioner in detecting new cases, with referral to medical doctors for proper medical treatment. The purpose of this article is to develop an understanding of Parkinson’s disease and empower community nurse practitioner competencies such as history taking skills, physical examination skills, with a specific skill in observing movement problems necessary to identify new Parkinson’s disease cases and delay disease progression and disabilities.