Of the one million people living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in the United States, nearly one-third of them will have a hospital encounter each year. When hospitalized, three out of four people with PD will not receive their medications on time, possibly leading to worsening symptoms, medical emergencies, and a significantly increased length of stay, greatly increasing costs to the medical system overall.

 

To address this problem, the Parkinson’s Foundation developed key tools and resources for patients and providers. Today’s guest, Peter Pronovost, MD, PhD, a major force in advancing hospital safety, helped develop recommendations for making hospitals safer for people with PD, which includes standards of care. Dr. Pronovost practices critical care medicine and is Chief Quality Officer and Chief Clinical Transformation Officer at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio.