Good Parkinson’s Research Paper Example

Introduction

Although not commonly known to many people, Parkinson Disease is one of the most popular neurodegenerative disorders that manifest itself to about one percent of the world population. Similar to much other condition, the disease is a health nightmare that is can be considered as a health burden. For instance, the disorder is associated with costs such as treatment cost, loss of income to the patients who are unable to work, and social security payments. In this paper, I intend to shed light on the Parkinson’s statistics and facts, pathophysiology, trend in care and treatment, culturally sensitive care, and nursing plan care.

Epidemiology

Parkinson’s disease can be defined as the disorder in which part of the brain is gradually damaged for some period, usually many years. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, about two third of the Parkinson cases are sporadic while a third of them are familial. Although there are no cure and known cause of the disease, various options including surgery and medication are applied to control the disease (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010). However, the risk factors associated with the disease include genetic and environmental factors. For instance, the research indicates that 15 to 25 percent of the individuals living with Parkinson’s disease have relatives suffering the disease. On the other hand, the disease is accelerated by the exposure to injury and toxins such as MPTP. Some of the main symptoms linked with the disease include slow movement, tremor, and inflexible and stiff muscles. Other psychological and physical symptoms include depression, insomnia, constipation, memory problems, and anosmia.

Pathophysiology

The progression of the disease varies from one individual to another. The disease is considered as a progressive disease that takes years, implying that symptoms develop with time. While some of the victims live with the early stage symptom for several years, some show symptoms more quickly. Nonmotor symptoms vary with the individual and are common to all stages of the disease. The stages of the disease are defined by the movement symptoms and inability of a person to carry out the daily routines. One of the scales used to measure the disease progression includes Hoehn and Yahr, which rates the symptoms on the scale of 1 to 5. This scale divides the disease progression into three main stages; early stage (1-2), mild-stage (2-3), and advanced stage (4-5) (Parkinson's Disease Foundation, 2015). The other clinical presentation of the Parkinson’s disease includes United Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS).

Current trends in care/treatment

The current trends in the treatment of the disease concern a number of researchers that aims to find the cure for the disease. First, the researchers are concentrating identifying the cause of the neurodegeneration. The research is taking path on the genetic and environmental factor associated with the disease (Parkinson's Disease Foundation, 2015).

Cultural Sensitive Care

A culture of collaboration, such as Parkinson Congress, has been developed to fight the Parkinson’s disease. Such forums are developed to give the discussion on the medical practices, scientific diseases, and caregiver initiatives that concern the disease. Through this cultural interaction, people interact in a quest to find the best treatment and cure for this disease.

Nursing Plan of Care

Concept map
Nursing plan of care
Nurses plan for the patient medication schedule that maximizes the effectiveness of the drugs. Nurses intervene by providing bradykinesia, muscle rigidity, postural reflex and tremor at rest in order to enhance the quality of life by diminishing symptoms.

Nursing diagnosis

The disease does not have standard test for diagnosis, but the physician takes neurological history and then conduct an examination. For example, the doctor examines movement abilities.

Nursing goals

The goal of the nurse is teaching purposeful activates that can increase the mobility of the patient and improve the way they walk for the shortest period possible.

Nursing interventions

Nursing intervention includes teaching the patients on bradykinesia, muscle rigidity, postural reflex and tremor at rest in order to enhance victim's quality of life by reducing symptoms

References

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2010, March 9). Genomics|HuGENet|Case Study|Parkinson's|Overview. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/genomics/hugenet/CaseStudy/PARKINSON/PARKview.htm
Parkinson's Disease Foundation. (2015). Understanding Parkinson. Retrieved from http://www.pdf.org/en/about_pd