Objective: To assess the usability of a co-produced smartphone application for falls reporting in people with Parkinson’s (PwP)

Background: Falls commonly occur in PwP, which lead to reduced quality of life, increased caregiver burden and reduced independence [1]. Self-report falls diaries provide the current gold standard methodology for reporting prospective falls incidence in PwP [2]. Although gold standard, the current method of falls reporting requires a significant number of logistical resources and relies on accurate retrospective reporting. A more readily scalable, cost-effective, and less burdensome method to report falls in PwP. Here, we assessed the usability of a smartphone falls app prototype (iFall) in PwP.

Method: The iFall prototype was co-produced with researchers, a representative from Parkinson’s UK and PwP and their family members/friends/carers. Fifteen PwP were recruited via Parkinson’s UK to take part in assessing the usability of iFall. Participants downloaded iFall using a step-by-step guide and used iFall in their daily lives for 6 months. Participants were asked to record any falls or near-misses that occurred in this time. In addition, participants were asked to report ‘test’ falls to ensure user experience of iFall. Following completion of the study, participants used the systems usability scale (SUS) to assess the usability of iFall [3].

Results: Over the six-month period, 84 events were logged which included 31 falls and 53 near-misses. The most common causes of falls logged were 1) loss of balance (n=19, 22%), 2) Turning (n=12, 14%) and 3) Tripping (n=12, 14%). Falls largely occurred in the home environment (n=49, 58%) followed by in public (n=9, 10%). Using the SUS, the app generated a score of 75.8%, classified as good usability.

Conclusion: This study determined that an initial prototype of a falls reporting smartphone application, iFall, was acceptable for use in PwP. Future work should determine iFall usability in a larger cohort.

References: 1. Rahman, S., et al., Quality of life in Parkinson’s disease: the relative importance of the symptoms. Mov Disord, 2008. 23(10): p. 1428-34.
2. Hunter, H., et al., Longitudinal falls data in Parkinson’s disease: feasibility of fall diaries and effect of attrition. Disability and Rehabilitation, 2018. 40(19): p. 2236-2241.
3. Brooke, J., SUS-A quick and dirty usability scale, in Usability Evaluation in Industry, P. Jordan, et al., Editors. 1996, Taylor and Francis London. p. 189-194.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/ifall-usability-of-a-co-produced-falls-reporting-smartphone-application-in-people-with-parkinsons/