These results indicate that group exercise with telephone counseling positively affects some aspects of HRQOL in PD patients.

Nonpharmacological interventions are important in providing care for Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. However, there is limited evidence related to their impacts on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). We aimed to examine the effectiveness of nonpharmacological interventions for improving the HRQOL of PD patients. Articles published in peer-reviewed journals from 2000 to 2015 were searched through electronic searching, computerized author searching, and footnote chasing. A meta-analysis was performed using the RevMan 5.3 program. Overall, effect size for the studies ( n = 18) was -4.17 with 95% confidence interval (CI) from -7.63 to -0.70 ( Z = 2.36, p = .02), indicating positive effects of nonpharmacological interventions on HRQOL. In subgroup analysis regarding the intervention types, the effect size of exercise programs was -5.73 with 95% CI of -11.36 to -0.10 ( Z = 2.00, p = .05). Thus, nonpharmacological interventions, and particularly exercise programs, were effective in improving the HRQOL of PD patients.

It is important to fully appreciate perceptions of the physical, emotional, and social effects of Parkinson's disease (PD), which is progressive and complex. This is a qualitative study with focus group interviews to understand patients' challenges and needs relating to health care in PD. Thematic analyses were applied to analyze the qualitative data. There were 3 main themes, that is, “physical challenges,” “psychosocial response,” and “family relationships,” and 8 subthemes. These findings suggest that health care providers should be aware of specific patients' difficulties and needs to provide timely and appropriate interventions for people with PD.