Quality of life in Parkinson's disease: Movement disorders clinic vs general medical clinic a comparative study

Objectives: to determine the effect of attending a movement disorders (MD) clinic on quality of life (QOL) outcomes for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods: Postal questionnaire study of forty -two patients with Parkinson's disease attending either a movement disorders clinic or more conventional general medical clinic were selected consecutively to complete the Parkinson's Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire (PDQL), All patients were diagnosed by a consultant physician with an interest in Parkinson's disease (S.B.R.) and had attended either the movement disorders clinic or the general medical clinic on at least three occasions. Questionnaires were completed independently of the examiners and returned by post. Results: Mean PDQL score was 124-1 [5. 16] in the movement disorders clinic and 95.9 [5.86] in the general medical clinic. Analysis of covariance revealed that those subjects attending the MD clinic reported a significantly higher QOL than those subjects in general medical care (F(1,39) = 16 1.98, P < 0.001). Conclusion: These data indicate that the quality of life of respondents attending the movement disorders clinic is significantly higher than those attending the general medical clinic.