Wearable data helps identify candidates for Parkinson’s therapies

A study has found that monitoring patients remotely enables clinicians to better make decisions on when to consider advanced therapy for Parkinson’s treatment.

The benefits of applying the Internet of Things (IoT) in the world of healthcare have long been assumed. With improved technology generally comes increased efficiency and ultimately, better standards of care. However, there have been relatively few studies done into how exactly these benefits manifest themselves.

Now, a study on a wearable produced by Great Lakes NeuroTechnologies (GLNT), actively suggests that patients receive better treatment when using it. The wearable system in question is the Kinesia One.

The KinesiaOne uses wearable sensors that are linked to a web portal. Used in the monitoring of Parkinson’s patients, it was found that the information provided by the system made doctors more aware of variables such as symptom severity and fluctuations in motor skills, giving them an edge that standard care did not offer.

Researchers found clinicians were five times more likely to recommend a patient for advanced therapy such as deep brain stimulation or an implantable medication pump when given access to remote monitoring reports.

Improving Parkinson’s patients’ care

Great Lakes’ biomedical research manager, Dustin Heldman, highlighted that the study’s results will help push forward this sector in IoT healthcare.

“An important reason we developed and validated our Kinesia technology was to give clinicians a window into what happens when individuals with Parkinson’s disease leave the clinic,” he said.

“The results of this study are advancing our technology beyond the initial building blocks of algorithm validation and usability. We are now seeing the technology deployed and validated in targeted applications to help guide clinical decision-making and improve patient care.”

Heldman also pointed out that wearables will help doctors track the reaction of patients to treatment, not just their need for it. He said: “Remote monitoring could also benefit patients after they receive advanced therapy by determining if a patient is responding well to the therapy or is in need of a therapy adjustment.”

Seamless data collection

Speaking exclusively to Internet of Business, Srikant Sowmyanarayanan, head of consumer technologies at digital transformation consultants Happiest Minds, said that “The biggest advantage wearables can provide to doctors is a critical insight into daily lifestyles of patients. Taking advantage of that, doctors can collect raw and unaltered information as people go about their daily lives.

“As data is collected automatically, there is no intervention in the statistics received by doctors. Hence turning that data into meaningful information can help doctors diagnose earlier if not alter medication as per the rate of recovery or deterioration of the patient’s condition.”

However, Mr Sowmyanarayanan pointed out that there are several challenges faced by those wanting a sweeping adopting of wearables across healthcare, including infrastructure, interoperability, security, and privacy.