The outpatient movement clinic of the Department of Molecular Neurology (Head: Prof. Dr. Jürgen Winkler) of the University Hospital Erlangen is currently conducting a pilot study on the “ParkinsonGo” coaching app for Parkinson’s patients. This is reported by the University Hospital Erlangen in a press release. It was developed with the Erlangen-based company Portables HealthCare Technologies. Patients who would like to test the application are now being sought until the end of July 2023.
Moderately affected patients with a typical (idiopathic) Parkinson’s syndrome are suitable for the study. People with predominantly tremors, very clear and frequent fluctuations in mobility over the course of the day (more than 25% of the waking time) or an atypical Parkinson’s syndrome are not suitable. “Our study is intended to examine whether the ParkinsonGo app can be prescribed on prescription in the future and thus reimbursed by health insurance companies,” explains neurologist and study leader Dr. Sabine Stallforth. “To do this, we are investigating important health care effects: state of health, quality of life, self-efficacy and health literacy. We are checking whether the app has positive supply effects.”
An important prerequisite for the app on prescription is that it is designed to be patient-centric. “ParkinsonGo is designed in such a way that the application accompanies patients at home interactively between their doctor’s visits,” explains Dr. Stallforth. With questionnaires and gait analyzes by sensors on the shoes, a personal complaint profile of the person concerned is created. Based on daily diary entries and weekly gait measurements, the app checks whether the state of health remains stable. In order to promote this, ParkinsonGo presents video exercises suitable for everyday use and individual tips to optimize your own behavior. A knowledge library is also available to users, which they can use to expand their knowledge of Parkinson’s disease.
The duration of the study participation is six months. At the beginning, after three months and at the end, a two to two and a half hour examination is planned at the University Hospital Erlangen. “The more people take part in this study, the more reliable the statement we can make at the end,” emphasizes Prof. Dr. Jürgen Winkler, Head of Molecular Neurology at the University Hospital Erlangen. “In addition, the user experience is very valuable for making targeted adjustments to the app.” “If ParkinsonGo comes into play, the app developed at the Erlangen site would be the first digital health application (DiGA) for Parkinson’s disease,” emphasizes Dr. Stallforth.
Interested parties can contact the Molecular Neurology department at the University Hospital Erlangen using the keyword “ParkinsonGo pilot study”, phone: 09131 85-39324, fax: 09131 85-34672, e-mail: [email protected].
