Study seeks to quantify value of Parkinson's specialist nurses

Knowledge
20 Oct 2020

Parkinson's UK is funding a research project to explore the scope and value of the Parkinson's nurse specialist. The study seeks to understand what forms of the service provide both the most meaningful support to people with Parkinson's and the best value to the health service.

Lead researcher Dr Annette Hand and her team have published an outline of 'the USP Project' in BMJ Open, where they discuss the realist economic evaluation protocol that they will use to discern the best use of the Parkinson's specialist nurse role in the future.

The paper states that:

'This is the first study to put realist economic evaluation into practice. This is the first stakeholder-driven national study to explore in-depth the role and value of the Parkinson’s Nurse Specialists from multiple perspectives, while also exploring resource use, costs and cost-effectiveness.'

Reference

Brown S, Dalkin SM, Bate A, et al. 'Exploring and understanding the scope and value of the Parkinson’s nurse in the UK (The USP Project): a realist economic evaluation protocol'. BMJ Open 2020;10:e037224. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-037224

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