Parkinson’s disease symptoms can be monitored electronically while people go about their daily activities, according to a new proof-of-concept study.
Parkinson’s symptoms are most often charted using in-office, subjective rating scales. The researchers sought proof that electronic sensors could reliably capture this data in a home environment.
Study participants wore three electronic body sensors for two weeks. They were prompted throughout the day to complete questionnaires about their symptoms using a mobile phone application.
Results showed that adherence was high. Fully 94% wore the sensors during 15-hour daily timeframe and even beyond. Questionnaire completion rates were 79%, reported Margot Heijmans, MSc., and colleagues.
Participants gave the monitoring system high marks, and 50% said they’d be willing to fill out the app questionnaire long-term, the authors reported. In addition, sensor data consistently predicted when a patient would report “off” times. These are the times when medications aren’t working fully and symptoms reappear.
Electronic monitoring may be particularly useful for monitoring people during medication changes or in the time leading up to outpatient clinical visits, the authors concluded.
The research, from Maastricht University, the Netherlands, was published in Nature.
