A recent survey of more than 1,500 Parkinson's disease patients, caregivers and physicians conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of The Michael J. Fox Foundation and AbbVie reveals that information and specialized care can help patients become more engaged in their own treatment and in the Parkinson’s disease (PD) community.

The survey found that only about half of patients feel “informed or very informed” about living with Parkinson’s disease (53%) and how to understand if their disease is progressing (51%). Further, only 48 percent of PD patients and 38 percent of caregivers reported feeing informed about where to turn to for support or information.

The survey findings also indicate that patients who see movement disorder specialists — neurologists with additional training in Parkinson’s — feel more informed about their disease, yet as few as 28 percent of patients are currently seeing this type of doctor.

To learn more about the survey’s top findings, view our infographic on the Partners in Parkinson’s website.