Medication Knowledge of Patients with Parkinson's Disease: Strengths and Gaps

Effective drug treatment of motor and non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) often requires the administration of several anti-Parkinson drugs in complex treatment regimens. The successful autonomous application of drugs places high demands on therapy adherence, which in turn relies on sufficient medication knowledge. However, limited information exists regarding the medication knowledge among PD patients.

The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge of PD patients regarding drug treatment, device-aided therapies and to explore potential factors influencing this knowledge.

The study was conducted as a prospective, cross-sectional, interview-based investigation, enrolling 70 patients. Knowledge on medication was standardized according to the number of drugs taken and expressed as a medication knowledge quotient (MKQ).

The median MKQ was reasonably high at 4.9 (IQR 3.5-5.9), without influence of sex and disease duration. Increasing age (p = 0.003), decreasing cognitive function (p < 0.001), low educational attainment (p < 0.001) and dispensing responsibility for drug provision (p < 0.001) negatively influenced MKQ. Knowledge regarding anti-Parkinson's drugs (ATC N04) was significantly higher than knowledge of other drug classes (p < 0.001). In contrast, knowledge of device-aided treatment options was poor.

PD patients displayed a high level of medication knowledge, particularly regarding anti-Parkinson's drugs. Age and the accompanying cognitive impairment had a negative impact on medication knowledge. By contrast, knowledge of the key features of device-aided treatment options requires considerable improvement.