Non-Pharmacological Interventions for Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson's Disease: A Scoping Review of Delivery Characteristics and Relevance to Nursing Practice.

Authors

Miyuki Imazawa, Yasuko Nishimura, Yasuhide Etou, Kohei Kajiwara

Published in

Journal of clinical nursing. Nov 09, 2026. Epub Nov 09, 2026.

Abstract

Cognitive impairment is common and disabling in Parkinson's disease and may progress to dementia in up to 80% of individuals. Non-pharmacological interventions are increasingly studied, but their modalities, delivery characteristics and clinical applicability remain unclear.
To map and synthesise evidence on non-pharmacological interventions for cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease, characterise intervention modalities and delivery features and examine relevance to nursing practice.
Scoping review.
Following Arksey and O'Malley's framework, two reviewers independently screened records and extracted data; discrepancies were resolved by consensus. Data were synthesised descriptively using an intervention modality and delivery characteristics framework.
PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and Ichushi-Web were searched from inception to October 2025.
Seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria; most were published after 2020. Interventions included cognitive training (n = 12) and exercise and dual-task programmes (n = 5). Four cognitive training interventions used technology-assisted, home-based platforms. Most were delivered by neuropsychologists or physiotherapists in facility-based settings; only one was nurse-led.
Non-pharmacological interventions for cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease are largely non-invasive and involve structured cognitive, physical or technology-assisted components. The scarcity of nurse-led interventions highlights a critical evidence gap and underscores the need for nurse-led and nurse-coordinated cognitive care models.
Nurses are well positioned to support, coordinate and monitor non-pharmacological cognitive and exercise-based interventions for people with Parkinson's disease, particularly in home-based and technology-assisted formats.
This review mapped 17 studies of non-pharmacological interventions for cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease and characterised their modalities and delivery features. Technology-assisted and home-based formats were identified as an emerging trend, although most interventions remained specialist-led and facility-based. The near-absence of nurse-led interventions highlights a critical evidence gap and an important opportunity to develop nurse-led and nurse-coordinated models of cognitive care.
https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/QDMGJ; registered 9 October 2025; Open Science Framework.
This study adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines.
No patient or public contribution was required because this review synthesised published literature.

PMID:
43003443
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 10 Nov 2026.

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