Parkinson's Pills - Do our patients "Get it on Time"?

Introduction: Medication timing is critical for patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD). The 'Get It on Time" campaign strives to have PD patients receive their medications within 30 minutes of prescribed time. 

Methods: Using PDSA methodology, a list of current inpatients with PD was populated and their medicines reconciliation (med rec) repeated to check accuracy of admission prescriptions. HEMA records were analysed to ascertain how many doses in the last 3-5 days of admission were given >30 minutes late. We also collected qualitative data from patients via an in-person survey, asking how often they felt their medications were given on time. Following this, we introduced our PD liaison team who aim to improve outcomes for our patients across the hospital, especially in wards who may not be as familiar with the importance of PD medications and prescribing. Data was recollected to see the effects of this change. 

Results: Initially, 45% of med recs were completed incorrectly on admission, most commonly prescribing the medication at incorrect times compared to those reported by patients. The average percentage of late doses per patient was 13.9%, and only 40.9% of patients felt they received their medication on time "all of the time" or "most of the time". After introducing our PD liaison service, data has shown correct med rec completion has improved to 86%. Average percentage of late doses is now 17.1%. 71.4% of patients feel they receive medicines on time "most of the time".

Conclusion: Introduction of a PD Liaison service has had a positive impact on correcting med rec errors. Late doses are still of concern. Patients identified a "busy ward" as a reason for late medication delivery. We hope the role of our PD liaison service could extend to providing nursing educational support regarding the importance of "Get it on Time".