Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the usability and effectiveness of “Parkinson Rehab^®”, a mobile app created with the aim of supporting home-based training in patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD).

Background: Mobile-Health is defined by the WHO as the “medical and public health practice supported by mobile devices, such as mobile phones, patient monitoring devices, personal digital assistants, and other wireless devices”¹. In the last decade and due to Covid-19 pandemic, the use of Mobile-health is exponentially increased.

Method: A total of 10 patients with PD (age: 65.25±11.26; H&Y: 1.75±0.46) were recruited to participate in the study. Motor and cognitive performances were assessed by means of the Timed Up and Go (TUG) executed both under single and dual task conditions, the Short Physical Performance Battery, the Four Step Square Test (FSST), and the Parkinson’s Disease Cognitive Rating Scale.
All the evaluations were performed before and immediately after two months of home-based training.
We also proposed a custom-built satisfaction survey in order to investigate patients’ perceptions of improvement, to understand the impact on their quality of life and to have feedback concerning the app usability. The application provided a total of 42 videos divided in 3 different categories of exercises: (i) supine position, (ii) sitting position, and (iii) standing position. Patients were instructed to perform, 3 times per week, 10 different exercises chosen by a physical therapist based on their level of performance and rehabilitative needs. Specifically, they were instructed first to carefully observe the video focusing on each movement and then to physically perform the same exercise.

Results: . TUG dual task time and FFST performance significantly improved (p=0.047 and p= 0.045 respectively). Moreover, patients declared perceived improvements in balance (72% of participants), walking (67%) and activities of daily life (56%).

Conclusion: This pilot study showed that “Parkinson Rehab^®” is a useful and user-friendly app to support home-based physiotherapy and to improve some domains of motor performance, such as balance and gait. Our preliminary results on motor performance are encouraging but a larger sample size is needed to draw more relevant conclusion.

References: 1. World Health Organization. Available at www.who.int

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/parkinson-rehab-app-a-pilot-study-on-the-use-of-mobile-health-for-parkinsons-disease-home-based-training/