Objective: To present the findings from the implementation of widespread screening for psychosocial distress using a distress thermometer (DT) in a Movement Disorder clinic.

Background: The DT is a visual analogue 0-to-10 rating scale which was developed for oncological diseases and has been validated as a screening tool for psychosocial distress in Parkinson’s Disease [1]. It is administered with a problem list for patients to indicate the presence of physical, cognitive, practical, social, emotional, and spiritual symptoms. The DT allows identification of problems which can then be addressed to improve patients’ well-being.

Method: Patients scheduled to attend the Movement Disorder clinic in our centre were invited to complete the DT using a web-based questionnaire prior to their appointment. A score of 6 or more was used as the cut-off for significant distress [2]. Those with significant distress were discussed at a multidisciplinary meeting to advise on further management, including referrals to the social worker or psychologist.

Results: From Apr 2024 to Feb 2025, 300 DT were completed by 262 unique patients. The median DT score was 2 (IQR 0-5). 67 (22.8%) of DT responses were scored 6 or more. The most common complaints overall were in the “physical” domain with 55.7% having 1 or more physical complaint. The commonest symptoms in those whose DT were scored 6 or more were fatigue (23.8%), memory problems (17.9%) and poor sleep (14.9%), while those scored less than 6 most commonly cited fatigue (22.7%), sleep issues (16.7%), and mobility problems (12.4%). Those with at least 1 physical, cognitive or emotional symptom were significantly more likely to have significant distress (OR 2.4, 2.8 and 2.7 respectively, p<0.05). Of the 34 patients who repeated the DT at their follow-up appointment, 15 (44.1%) reported an improvement in overall DT score.

Conclusion: Using a structured distress screening tool prior to their medical consults, we found that one-fifth of Movement Disorder patients reported significant distress. Patients with physical, cognitive or affective symptoms were more likely to have significant distress. The most common source of distress was physical in nature, of which fatigue and poor sleep predominated. DT screening can help identify previously undetected psychosocial needs amongst patients by capturing concerns that may not surface during routine clinical assessments.

References: 1. Schnalke N, Tekampe E, Feige T, et al. Validation of the Distress Thermometer as a Screening Tool for Psychosocial Distress and Resilience in Parkinson’s Disease. Mov Disord Clin Pract. 2024;11(3):257-264. doi:10.1002/mdc3.13937
2. Graham-Wisener L, Dempster M, Sadler A, McCann L, McCorry NK. Validation of the Distress Thermometer in patients with advanced cancer receiving specialist palliative care in a hospice setting. Palliative Medicine. 2021;35(1):120-129. doi:10.1177/0269216320954339

« Back to 2025 International Congress

MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/implementation-of-the-distress-thermometer-in-a-movement-disorder-clinic/