Improving access to care through transportation and internet use for patients with atypical parkinsonism: A pilot...

This quality improvement study aimed to assess whether arrangement of transportation and/or distribution of internet-enabled tablets could improve access to care in a multi-disciplinary Atypical Parkinsonism clinic for patients with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), corticobasal syndrome (CBS), and multiple system atrophy (MSA) who 1) lack the ability to arrange transportation to our clinics; 2) lack reliable Internet access/devices for telehealth, or 3) both 1) and 2).

Patients and care partners completed digitally distributed surveys and were given the option to complete hard copy surveys. The primary outcome variable was change in patient-reported Accessibility survey responses at 6 months, and secondary outcome variables included change in patient-reported assessments (PSP-QoL, CBFS, MSA-QoL) and Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale scores at 6 months.

While limited access to resources was a less frequently reported factor at 6-month follow-up, there was an increase in factors contributing to worse quality of life (QoL) for PSP patients. There was no effect on transportation barriers at 6-month follow-up.

Integrating transportation support into routine care processes can help improve access to care for patients with PSP, CBS, and MSA.