New NHS Scotland guideline recommends expert diagnosis

8 January 2010

The Parkinson's Disease Society has welcomed recommendations made in a new Guideline published today by NHS Scotland to cut down the risk of misdiagnosis of Parkinson's by GPs.

The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network

The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) Guideline recommends that suspected Parkinson's should be diagnosed and receive ongoing care from a consultant with expertise in motor disorders, rather than a GP.

This follows disturbing evidence highlighted by SIGN that GPs and some hospital doctors do not see enough cases of Parkinson's to distinguish it from other conditions.

This could mean that people with Parkinson's do not receive the treatment they need to relieve their symptoms.

Others may be wrongly diagnosed with Parkinson's and prescribed drugs that they don't need.

Diagnosis by GPs in Scotland

Additional independent research conducted in the West of Scotland has shown that 1 in 6 people with Parkinson's in Scotland received their diagnosis and all their care from GPs.

The research also highlighted that people who were diagnosed with Parkinson's by their GPs were considerably more likely to be misdiagnosed.

People were most likely to receive an accurate diagnosis from doctors with expertise in motor disorders.

Dr Kieran Breen, Director of Research and Development at the Parkinson's Disease Society, comments:

"Parkinson's is very hard to diagnose because there are so many conditions that show similar symptoms, and everybody is different.

"Misdiagnosis is a major problem. It has a devastating impact on individuals and their families, and increases costs to the NHS.

"While GPs play a vital role in supporting people with Parkinson's, they shouldn't be expected to manage such a complex condition alone.

"We hope that this guideline will make all health professionals aware that referral for expert diagnosis and management of Parkinson's will mean the best care for patients."

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