Neuropalliative care in deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease: Potential impactful areas of care

Abstract

Neuropalliative care (NPC) is a relatively new subspeciality of neurology. Recent studies have demonstrated efficacy of NPC in Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the implementation of NPC in deep brain stimulation (DBS) has yet to be addressed. Patients with PD being evaluated for and having undergone DBS potentially have unmet needs that may be best assessed and managed by neuropalliative neurologist. Specific areas include an in-depth psychosocial evaluation, exploration of patient and caregiver expectations, addressing caregiver needs, providing spiritual and marital support, and discussing advance directives.