Diagnostic accuracy of Parkinson's disease and atypical parkinsonism in nursing homes.

Introduction: Management of Parkinson's disease (PD) and atypical parkinsonism in nursing homes depends on a timely and accurate diagnosis. However, little is known about the diagnostic accuracy of these parkinsonian syndromes in nursing homes. We examined this issue in a large group of Dutch nursing home residents.

Methods: Twelve large nursing home organizations in the Netherlands accounting for 100 nursing homes with a total population of 5480 residents participated. Residents with PD or atypical parkinsonism were identified according to their nursing home medical chart diagnosis. Additionally, local pharmacists provided a list of all residents using antiparkinson medication. We compared the admission diagnosis to a clinical diagnosis made in the study, based upon interview and detailed neurological examination by movement disorders experts. Diagnoses were based on accepted clinical criteria for PD and atypical parkinsonism.

Results: In the total population of 5480 residents, 258 had previously been diagnosed with a form of parkinsonism according to their medical record. In 53 of these residents (20.5%) we changed or rejected the diagnosis. Specifically, we found no parkinsonism in 22 of these 53 residents (8.5% of all patients with suspected parkinsonism). In the remaining 31 residents (12%), we established a new diagnosis within the parkinsonian spectrum.

Conclusions: In a large population of Dutch nursing home residents, 20% of diagnoses within the parkinsonian spectrum were inaccurate. Almost 9% of residents had inadvertently received a diagnosis of parkinsonism. Better recognition of parkinsonism in nursing homes is important, because of the consequences for management and prognosis.