Awareness and Knowledge of the Clinical Practice Guideline on Parkinson’s Disease among German Neurologists

Background/Aims: With increasing diagnostic and therapeutic options of Parkinsonian syndromes (PS), evidence-based medicine clinical practice guidelines for Parkinson’s disease and related disorders have been published. This study evaluates the awareness and the knowledge of the German practice guideline for Parkinson’s disease among neurologists. Methods: The cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted in 2005 in Germany on a survey of 181 neurologists in private practice. Results: 53.1% (n = 95) of the participants specified to be aware of the guideline. A low level of knowledge was reported in diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for motor and nonmotor complications (including depression and dementia), and in the diagnostic features of atypical PS. Neurologists who were aware of the guideline had a significantly better knowledge of the different clinical features of idiopathic (94.7 vs. 84.3%; p = 0.023) versus nonidiopathic (88.3 vs. 77.1%; p = 0.048) PS in general, and specifically of multiple system atrophy (54.3 vs. 36.1%; p = 0.016) as well as of characteristics concerning increased daytime sleepiness (95.7 vs. 86.7%; p = 0.032). Conclusion: The awareness and the knowledge of the guideline in everyday medical practice are still limited. Future interventions for a better implementation must include strategies which are suitable to modify behavior patterns.