Improving access to care through transportation and internet use for patients with atypical parkinsonism: A pilot study.

Introduction: This quality improvement study aimed to assess whether arrangement of transportation and/or distribution of internet-enabled tablets could improve access to care in a multi-disciplinary Atypical Parkinsonism clinic for patients with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), corticobasal syndrome (CBS), and multiple system atrophy (MSA) who 1) lack the ability to arrange transportation to our clinics; 2) lack reliable Internet access/devices for telehealth, or 3) both 1) and 2). Methods: Patients and care partners completed digitally distributed surveys and were given the option to complete hard copy surveys. The primary outcome variable was change in patient-reported Accessibility survey responses at 6 months, and secondary outcome variables included change in patient-reported assessments (PSP-QoL, CBFS, MSA-QoL) and Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale scores at 6 months. Results: While limited access to resources was a less frequently reported factor at 6-month follow-up, there was an increase in factors contributing to worse quality of life (QoL) for PSP patients. There was no effect on transportation barriers at 6-month follow-up. Conclusions: Integrating transportation support into routine care processes can help improve access to care for patients with PSP, CBS, and MSA.