Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire - 39 (PDQ-39)
What It Measures
The PDQ-39 asks how often Parkinson's has made things difficult over the past month — across the whole of a person's life, not just their movement.
Thirty-nine questions cover eight areas: mobility, activities of daily living, emotional wellbeing, stigma, social support, cognition, communication, and bodily discomfort. Each is answered never, occasionally, sometimes, often, or always. Every dimension is scored 0 to 100, with lower meaning better quality of life, and all eight can be combined into a single Summary Index. The inclusion of stigma and social support is what distinguishes it from a symptom rating — those questions ask about things a motor examination cannot reach.
Further Reading
Additional Notes
Licensing Notes: The PDQ-39 is copyrighted by Oxford University Innovation and licensed — non-commercial academic use is typically granted at no charge on registration, while commercial use carries a fee. Available in over 80 languages. Confirm terms before use.