Qualitative Evaluation of the Personal KinetiGraph(TM) Movement Recording System in a Parkinson’s Clinic

BACKGROUND: Wearable sensors provide accurate, continuous objective measurements, quantifying the variable motor states of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in real time. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of using continuous objective measurement using the Personal KinetiGraph™ (PKG(®)) Movement Recording System in the routine clinical care of patients with PD (PwP). METHODS: Physicians employed the use of the PKG in patients for whom they were seeking objective measurement. Patients wore a PKG data logger for ≥6 days during routine daily living activities. During the survey period of December 2015 through July 2016, physician surveys were completed by four Movement Disorder Specialists for whom measurements from the PKG were available during a subsequent routine clinic visit. RESULTS: Of 112 completed physician surveys, 46 (41%) indicated the PKG provided relevant additional information sufficient to consider adjusting their therapeutic management plan; 66 (59%) indicated the PKG provided no further information to support a therapeutic decision differing from that made during a routine clinical evaluation. Upon further review of these 46 surveys, 36 surveys (78%) revealed the information provided by the PKG ultimately resulted in adjusting the patient’s medical management. CONCLUSIONS: The PKG provided novel additional information beyond that captured during a routine clinic visit sufficient to change the medical management of PwP. Physicians adjusted treatment nearly a third of the time based on data provided by real-time, remote monitoring outside the clinic setting. The use of the PKG may provide for better informed therapeutic decisions, improving the quality of life for PwP.