• Mary Wetani Agoriwo, Conran Joseph, Erika Franzén, and Marianne Unger.
• Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Division of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
• J Eval Clin Pract. 2024 Sep 1; 30 (6): 873886873-886.

RationaleRehabilitation has the potential to significantly improve the lives of people and, most importantly, for persons with Parkinson's disease (PD). Although numerous studies have reported the benefits of rehabilitation for persons with PD (PwPD), these services are still limited and underutilized even when patients exhibit problems that require rehabilitation.Aims And ObjectivesThis review aims to describe the (a) indication for referral for rehabilitation services, (b) patterns of referral for rehabilitation and (c) factors that facilitate or hinder the utilization and delivery of rehabilitation services among PwPD.MethodsA comprehensive literature search was conducted across selected databases, African Journals Online, EBSCOhost (CINAHL, Africa-wide), PubMed, SCOPUS and Web of Science. Studies published in English from January 2002 until December 2022 were applied as limiters. Reference and grey data sources tracking were also conducted. Two reviewers conducted the study selection, screening of titles, abstracts and full text and data charting. A descriptive analysis was performed. Findings were narratively presented and illustrated with tables, diagrams and descriptive formats as appropriate.ResultsTwelve studies were included in the review; however, none were from Africa. Impairments and activity limitations were the key functioning problems indicated for rehabilitation. Age, gender, income, race, disease stage, specific functioning problems, quality of life and care by a neurologist were the main predictors for referral to rehabilitation. Physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy were the most utilized rehabilitation services and were sometimes utilized together. The rate of rehabilitation service utilization among PwPD ranged from 0.9% to 62.5%. Lack of referrals and limited rehabilitation units/professionals were the common barriers to rehabilitation service utilization.ConclusionPer the studies reviewed, utilization of rehabilitation services is generally low among PwPD. Lack of referral and nonavailability of professionals are cited as barriers to access. Adequate measures are needed to improve rehabilitation services for all PwPD.© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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