A qualitative study on professional caregiver burden among healthcare professionals in Parkinson’s disease in Chennai, India

Healthcare professionals experience substantial burden when providing long-term care for patients with Parkinson’s disease. Despite their central role in care delivery, the experiences of healthcare professionals remain under-examined in Indian healthcare contexts. This qualitative study explored professional caregiver burden among healthcare professionals involved in Parkinson’s disease care in South India. Twelve healthcare professionals (Neurologists, Nurses, Physician Assistants, Physiotherapists, and Psychologists) were recruited from two tertiary hospitals in Chennai between April and May 2025. A semi-structured interview schedule was utilised to gather data. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis. The study identified 5 major themes (1) Emotional Burden of Continuous Care in PD, (2) Clinical and Cognitive Complexity, (3) Critical Care and Physical Demands, (4) Family Dynamics and Relative Challenges, and (5) Administrative and Systemic Barriers, encompassing 18 sub-themes. The findings indicate that professional caregiver burden in PD care arises from the interaction of cultural expectations, structural constraints, and the progressive nature of the disease. Remarkably, accumulated clinical experience did not diminish cognitive burden; instead, greater experience escalated exposure to therapeutic uncertainty and prognostic complexity. Findings associated with physical rehabilitation are presented as an illustrative case, due to the single-participant illustration of the physiotherapy discipline. The professional caregiver burden among healthcare professionals in PD care operates across multiple professional and systemic dimensions. It also represents a patient-safety concern with implications for occupational health policy and institutional mental-health support in tertiary care settings. These burden dimensions elucidate how professional caregiver burden, emerging from progressive neurological disease care, is shaped by structural constraints and cultural care contexts.