Idiopathic Parkinson’s Disease (PD) History
Below is a template of questions to ask during the history portion of a patient interview in the initial consultation or subsequent followup notes. The template can be carried forward in all future notes.
General Characteristics:
Time of Onset: Age of onset
Initial symptoms (laterality): Tremor, dystonia, gait disturbance, falls, orthostatic hypotension, vision changes
Prodromal symptoms: Constipation, anosmia/hyposmia, REM sleep behavior disorder, etc
Motor Symptoms: Tremor, dystonia, myoclonus, dyskinesias, myoclonus, falls, postural instability, freezing
Non-motor symptoms: Constipation, cognitive changes, depression/anxiety, hallucinations, dysphagia, speech abnormalities, urinary retention/urgency, hyper/hypohydrosis, sialorrhea, vision changes, sexual dysfunction, pain
Progression of the disease: Worsening or new symptoms over time
Trial of levodopa: Helpful or unhelpful for management of symptoms
Family history of Parkinsonism: PD, multiple systems atrophy (MSA), Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), etc
Management:
Prior medications: Current medications
Deep Brain Stimulation: If present, time of surgery and efficacy
Dopamine side effects: hallucinations, impulse control disorder, sleep attacks, obsessive/compulsive behaviors, worsening orthostatic hypotension
Response to medication:
Medication onset: How many minutes after starting medication does the patient notice improvement in symptoms
Duration of effect: In hours
Wearing off of medication: If yes, how much time prior to next dose
Dyskinesias:
Amount of time during the day with poor motor function (%): Off times and/or dyskinesias
Therapy:
Last physical therapy visit:
Last occupational therapy visit:
Last speech pathology visit:
Exercise regimen: