Parkinson Patients' needs during COVID-19 pandemic in a red zone: a Framework Analysis of Open-Ended Survey Questions.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the perceptions, the feelings and the unmet needs of Parkinson's Disease (PD) patients who experienced a two-month lockdown in a "red zone" in the northern part of Italy during the COVID-19 outbreak.

METHODS: A descriptive design utilising cross-section online survey with open-ended questions enquiring the person's feelings concerning the risk of contracting Coronavirus, how their physical activity has changed, the needs related to Parkinson's disease which have not been meet during the pandemic period, their personal needs dictated by their condition, which had not been met in this pandemic period as compared to previous periods. Demographic data were analysed using descriptive frequencies, while the open-ended questions were analysed using thematic framework analysis.

RESULTS: The study included 103 participants [male/female: 63/40 (61.17 vs 38.83%)]. Framework analysis lead identification of four main themes: (i) fearing the risk of contracting coronavirus, (ii) the reduction of physical activity, (iii) perception of the risk of not being able to access outpatient clinics or support services, and (iv) the suffering from the important reduction in socialization. The perceptions of unmet needs appear to be higher than the experience particularly for the reduction of physical activity and the interrupting contacts with the neurologist and other specialists.

CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights how perceptions and actual experience shape the meaning of living with PD during the pandemic. Worth to note is the divergence between perceptions and real impact in some aspects of COVID-19 outbreak.