Examining the awareness of devi̇ce- assisted treatments in parkinson's disease patients and their caregivers

Yesilkaya M. Evaluation of Awareness on Device-Assisted Therapies in Patients with Parkinson's Disease and Caregivers. Specialization Thesis, Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Eskişehir, 2024. This study aimed to determine the awareness of Parkinson's disease patients and caregivers regarding device-assisted therapies. Socioeconomic and demographic data, awareness levels related to device-assisted therapies, MDS-UPDRS scores of patients, and Hoehn-Yahr stages were collected from Parkinson's patients and caregivers attending outpatient clinics from June 1, 2022, to June 1, 2023. Awareness levels of 102 patients and 74 caregivers were compared, revealing significantly low awareness levels for SAIP and LKIJ. Awareness for DBS was relatively low compared to international studies, influenced most significantly by patients' educational levels. Information on DBS was found to be inadequate for both patients and caregivers. Overall, awareness of SAIP and LKIJ among patients and caregivers was notably low, with substantial gaps in knowledge and misconceptions regarding DBS. The study highlighted educational attainment as the most influential factor affecting awareness, suggesting that efforts to increase awareness of device-assisted therapies for Parkinson's patients in Turkey could be beneficial based on these findings.