# User groups of inpatient multidisciplinary therapies for Parkinson’s disease in Germany: a bicenter prospective observational study

## TL;DR

This study compares two inpatient multidisciplinary therapies for Parkinson's disease in Germany, finding differences in patient groups and outcomes like gait speed and mobility.

## Contribution

The paper identifies distinct user groups and predictors of therapy response in Parkinson's multidisciplinary care, using real-world data from two centers.

## Key findings

- GCT users were older and had more severe mobility and cognitive impairments compared to PD-MCT users.
- Lower fear of falling and gait speed were predictors of therapy response, regardless of therapy type.
- Age-adjusted differences in gait parameters and quality of life persisted between the two therapy groups.

## Abstract

In Germany, multidisciplinary care for people with Parkinson's disease (PwP, PD) is mainly provided in the inpatient setting. Differences in user groups between established and effective interventions like PD Multimodal Complex Therapy (PD-MCT) and Geriatric Complex Therapy (GCT) have not been investigated.

This real-world bicenter prospective observational study involved PwP undergoing 14-day inpatient multidisciplinary therapies at two German university hospitals providing either PD-MCT or GCT. Demographic and clinical variables were recorded before and device-based gait variables before and after therapy. Non-parametric and parametric tests including ANCOVA with age as covariate were conducted to compare groups at baseline, and an exploratory binomial logistic regression (LR) to identify predictors of ‘therapy response’ concerning gait speed.

Between 09/2017 and 09/2022, 100 (41% female) and 102 (34.3% female) PwP received GCT or PD-MCT, with significant (p < 0.003) mean or median differences (GCT vs. PD-MCT) in age (74.7 vs. 65.6 years), disease duration (9.9 vs. 7.4 years), and HY stage (3 vs. 2.5). The GCT group showed significantly reduced lower extremity (SPPB), global cognitive (MoCA) and executive function (TMT), lower quality of life, and higher fear of falling (FES-I). There were significant (p < 0.004) between-group differences in gait parameters at both normal and fast pace, e.g., reduced gait speed and step length among GCT users. After age-adjustment, differences in gait speed, fast-pace step length, lower extremity and executive function, fear of falling and quality of life persisted. The exploratory LR model was statistically significant (p < 0.05, R2 = 0.312) and revealed lower fear of falling and gait speed as predictors of ‘therapy response’, independent of therapy type, age, sex, disease duration or stage.

GCT users show higher age and severity, particularly concerning mobility impairments independent of age. It is unclear if, on a national level, actual PD-MCT/GCT user groups align with intended target groups. Health insurance data analyses could help refine clinical recommendations and public health policies for more targeted multidisciplinary PD care.

Park Move Study: DRKS, DRKS00020948. Registered 30 March 2020—retrospectively registered, https://drks.de/search/de/trial/DRKS00020948/details

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s42466-025-00409-9.