Psychosocial strategies to strengthen the coping with Parkinson's disease: Perspectives from patients, family carers and healthcare professionals

Objective
To explore the main psychosocial aspects which have influence on the coping with the disease in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and their family carers.

Design
An exploratory qualitative study which constitutes the second phase of a mixed-methods project.

Setting
Multicenter study carried out in Navarre in 2014 in collaboration with Primary Care of Navarre Service of Health-Osasunbidea, Clínica Universidad de Navarra and Navarre Association of Parkinson's patients.

Participants
A total of 21 participants: 9 people with PD, 7 family carers and 5 healthcare professionals.

Method
Participants were selected through purposive sampling. Focus groups were conducted until a suitable saturation data was achieved. Transcriptions were analysed by 2 researchers through a content analysis.

Results
Three aspects that affected how patients and family carers coped with PD were identified: features of the clinical practice; family environment, and disease's acceptance.

Taking account of these findings, some strategies which could foster these aspects from primary healthcare are suggested in order to improve the adjustment to the disease in patients and family carers.

Conclusions
The healthcare in people with PD should have an integral approach that tackle the symptoms control in patients and also deal with psychosocial aspects that influence on the coping with the disease, in patients and family carers.

CITATION Aten Primaria. 2016 Aug 23. pii: S0212-6567(16)30208-6. doi: 10.1016/j.aprim.2016.06.001