Wrist device may help Parkinson’s
Treating Parkinson’s disease sufferers with the right drug dose at the right time may be difficult, but a wrist-worn device which collects data on a patient’s symptoms is reportedly allowing practitioners to improve treatment. The device was developed at Melbourne’s Florey Neuroscience Institute.
Treating Parkinson’s disease sufferers with the right drug dose at the right time may be difficult, but a wrist-worn device which collects data on a patient’s symptoms is reportedly allowing practitioners to improve treatment.
The device, based on technology developed at Melbourne’s Florey Neuroscience Institute, records data every two minutes on a patient’s movement disorders – one of the major symptoms of the degenerative disease.
The data automatically generates a report for the patient’s neurologist showing the severity of the movement disorder and the relationship between their symptoms and their medication. The device also reminds the patient when to take their drugs.
The system, worn on the wrist like a watch, has been trialled on more than 550 patients over the past three years.
It has been commercially available at 10 sites and about 50 patients across Australia since March.
Florey Neuroscience Institute’s neurologist, Professor Malcolm Horne, told AAP one of the problems for Parkinson’s sufferers was symptoms varied from dayto day.
The device is worn by patients for 10 days, which allows neurologists to get a broad picture of what is happening most of the time.
“It may either reveal that they are under-treated or over-treated in a way that you hadn’t anticipated,” Professor Horne said.
“Sometimes it shows that they are perfectly well treated so you have to cast your attention onto something else to try and solve it.”
He said scientists were undertaking more studies to work out what patients benefit most from data recording, and when this should take place.
The device was conceived, developed and produced in Victoria, and will be sold to practitioners and hospitals from 1 July and prescribed to patients by their doctors.
