A systematic review of the characteristics and validity of monitoring technologies to assess Parkinson's disease

There is increasing interest in objective, technology-based assessments of health-related outcomes that provide unbiased measurements for clinical practice and research. Numerous studies have used such devices to assess motor function in Parkinson’s disease (PD), but their clinimetric properties and level of validation vary widely. To address this heterogeneity, we conducted a systematic review to identify, compare, and classify technology-based devices used to measure motor function in PD as wearable, non-wearable, or hybrid systems.

A systematic PubMed search identified 168 eligible studies. Devices were evaluated for availability, use, reliability, validity, and sensitivity to change, and classified as “recommended,” “suggested,” or “listed” based on their use in PD assessment, independent application by researchers other than the developers, and successful clinimetric testing.

Seventy-three devices were identified, including 22 wearable, 38 non-wearable, and 13 hybrid devices. Nine devices were classified as “recommended,” 34 as “suggested,” and 30 as “listed.” Among wearable devices, recommended systems included Mobility Lab sensors (APDM), Physilog®, StepWatch 3, TriTrac RT3 accelerometer, McRoberts DynaPort, and Axivity AX3. Recommended non-wearable devices were the Nintendo Wii Balance Board and GAITRite® gait analysis system. Within hybrid systems, only the Kinesia® system met criteria for recommendation.