Case Study – Parkinson’s Disease Clinical Nurse Specialists

Case Study provided by Catriona Denoon, Library Services Manager (Services), NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde / NHS Lanarkshire

Project Outline:

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lanarkshire libraries undertook a piece of work in conjunction with two CNSs for Parkinson’s Disease (Carol Vennard and Jacqui Kerr). They were looking for context and evidence to support the audit they had carried out on the role of the Parkinson’s Nurse Specialist and the value it adds in clinical care.

Searches were carried out on biomedical databases and grey literature on the following questions:
* What is the value of a Parkinson’s Disease Clinical Nurse Specialist?
* What is the breadth and depth of the role ?
* What impact/evaluation is there on the role on patient care/outcomes?
* What impact is there on the role in the NHS/Healthcare organisation?

The results were sorted, themed and summarised, and then uploaded to Clinical Knowledge Publisher, making them available to the CNSs and any other interested staff. The results were presented at the national conference in 2016.

The next stages are:
* to keep the content up to date with regular follow-up searches
* to develop a similar resource aimed at PD patients
* to investigate producing similar work for other clinical nurse specialties

Quote from service user: 

“Once again just to say a massive thank you for the work to develop the pathway for CNS working in PD. I presented it at our national conference on Friday and it generated lots of discussion, especially with our peers.”

Quote from staff member: 

“This project evolved from a single literature search request into a project with several strands. By meeting regularly with the nurses involved we were able to extend the scope of the project and to offer follow-up work including the development of a similar resource aimed at patients with Parkinson’s Disease. The CNSs have identified a patient who is willing to collaborate in this project, and this will be a new way of working for the library services.”