A Discrete Event Simulation model to evaluate the use of community services in the treatment of patients with Parkinson's disease in the United Kingdom

Abstract

Background: The number of people affected by Parkinson’s disease (PD) is increasing in the United Kingdom driven by population ageing . The treatment of the disease is complex, resource intensive and currently there is no known cure to PD. The National Health Service (NHS), the public organisation delivering healthcare in the UK, is under financial pressures . T here is a need to find innovative ways to impr ove the operational and financial performance of treating PD patients. The use of community services is a new and promising way of providing treatment and care to PD patients a reduced cost than hospital care . The aim of this study is to evaluate the poten tial operational and financial benefits, which could be achieved through increased integration of community services in the delivery of treatment and care to PD pat ients in the UK without compromising care quality . Methods : A Discrete Event Simulation mod el was developed to represent the PD care structure including patients’ pathways, treatment modes, and the mix of resources required to treat PD patients . The model was parametrised with data from a large NHS Trust in the UK and validated using information from the same trust . Four possible scenarios involving increased use of community services were simulated on the model. Results : Shifting mor e patients with PD from hospital treatment to c om munity s ervices will reduce the number of visits of PD patients t o hospitals by about 25% and the number of PD doctors and nurses required to treat these patients by around 32%. Hospital based treatment costs and overall should decrease by 26% leading to overall savings of 10% in the total cost of treating PD patients.