Computer-based assessment of movement difficulties in Parkinson's disease

Abstract

The prevalence of Parkinson's disease (PD) is increasing due to an ageing population. It is an unpredictable disease which requires regular assessment and monitoring. Current techniques used to assess PD are subjective. Clinicians observe movements made by a patient and subsequently rate the level of severity of, for example tremor or slowness of movement. Within this work, we have developed and evaluated a prototype computer-based assessment tool capable of collecting information on the movement difficulties present in PD. Twenty participants took part in an assessment of the tool, 10 of whom were diagnosed with PD and 10 were without the disease. Following the usage of the tool, it was found that there was a significant difference (p = 0.038) in the speed of movement between the two groups. We envisage that this tool could have the potential to enable more objective clinical conclusions to be made.

Keywords:

• Parkinson's disease
• assistive technology
• assessment of movement
• healthcare technology
• objective assessment

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the staff at the Movement Clinic at the Belfast City Hospital and the City Way PD drop-in clinic, Belfast. We would also like to thank the patients at the Movement Clinic and the PD drop-in clinic who took part in the trial.