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Abstract

Impact of a Movement Disorders Clinic on the trends of Parkinson’s Disease Consultations at a Tertiary Referral Center

VOLUME 68 - NUMBER 4 / July - August (Brief Communication)

Teresa Corona, Clinical Neurodegenerative Disease Research Unit, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, México, D.F., México
Amin Cervantes-Arriaga, Clinical Neurodegenerative Disease Research Unit, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, México, D.F., México
Leora Velásquez-Pérez, Department of Epidemiology, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, Mexico City, Mexico
Mayela Rodríguez-Violante, Clinical Neurodegenerative Disease Research Unit and Movement Disorders Clinic, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, México, D.F., México

Background: Outpatient clinics for movement disorders provide specialized diagnosis and treatment services for the specific needs of this patient population. Objective: Describe the impact of implementing a Movement Disorder Clinic on the trends of consultations per year and hospitalizations of subjects with Parkinson’s disease at a tertiary referral center. Methods: A retrospective study was carried out. We collected data from the Clinical File Archive and the Epidemiology Department at the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery in Mexico. Data from January 1, 1999 through December 31, 2015 were included for analysis. Results: The number of total consultations had an increase of 632.1% between 1999 and 2015. Follow-up visits represented up to 95% of the consultations. Peaks found correlated with the inclusion of new specialists in the clinic. Regarding hospitalization, the number of patients discharged with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease increased from a median of 17 (range 9-35) to 46 patients (range 31-53) per year. Conclusions: The implementation of a multidisciplinary Movement Disorders Outpatient Clinic in a tertiary referral center had a direct impact on the total number of consultations per year, mainly follow-up visits. The latter may reflect in an improvement in the quality of care.

Keywords: Movement disorders. Outpatient clinic. Parkinson’s disease

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