Accessibility of Device-Aided Therapies for Persons With Parkinson’s Disease in Poland

Abstract

Objective Access to care for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD), particularly to device-aided therapies (DAT), is not equally distributed. The objective was to analyze accessibility to DAT (deep brain stimulation, intraduodenal levodopa pump therapy, and apomorphine pump therapy) in Poland.Methods We analyzed the distribution of DAT use in Poland by determining the number of persons with PD receiving one of the three DATs during 2015–2021.Results In 2021, the number of persons receiving DAT in Poland was 0.56% of the total PD population, increasing from 0.21% in 2015. Overall, deep brain stimulation was the preferred DAT in Poland, but strong regional differences in the use of the other DATs were observed. Accessibility to DAT was negatively associated with average annual income (<i>p</i> < 0.001).Conclusion Access to DAT for persons with PD in Poland is still limited, and strong regional differences in accessibility were observed, although its general increase over the last decade is encouraging.