Continuous observation of Parkinsonian symptoms using symptom diaries & wearable accelerometry
Clinical Snapshot
PICO Framework
| P — Population | 66 participants with Parkinson's Disease (41 male, 25 female) |
| I — Intervention | Bilateral wrist-worn accelerometry combined with patient symptom diaries |
| C — Comparator | Not applicable - this is a descriptive dataset study |
| O — Outcomes | Continuous monitoring data including kinetic state, tremor, freezing of gait, falls, and medication intake over 393.8 total participant-days |
Bottom Line
This study presents a valuable open-science dataset combining wearable accelerometry with patient symptom diaries from 66 Parkinson's Disease patients over nearly 400 participant-days. While not providing immediate clinical outcomes, this resource addresses a critical gap in PD research by enabling development of objective, continuous monitoring tools for motor fluctuations. The dataset's strength lies in its simultaneous capture of objective sensor data and subjective patient experiences, potentially supporting more personalized treatment adjustments. However, the clinical utility depends on future validation studies using this dataset. For Australian clinicians, this represents progress toward evidence-based remote monitoring that could enhance specialist consultations and chronic disease management, though implementation awaits further research demonstrating clinical effectiveness and cost-benefit analysis.
Key Findings
Effect Size: Not applicable - descriptive study
Primary Outcome: Creation of validated dataset with 393.8 days of simultaneous accelerometry and symptom diary data
Nnt Or Sensitivity: Average 6.0 consecutive days per participant data collection
Confidence Interval: Not provided
Clinical Application
High - wearable accelerometry increasingly accessible and user-friendly Relevant to Australian PD management; supports PBS-funded specialist consultations with objective data; aligns with TGA-approved wearable medical devices; useful for RACGP chronic disease management plans Parkinson's Disease patients capable of using wearable devices and maintaining symptom diaries
Abstract
Treatment adjustments in Parkinson's Disease (PD) are often based on clinical evaluations at single time points which are insufficient to adequately assess real-life motor fluctuations. Patient-written symptom diaries on the other hand are highly subjective and require well-educated and adherent patients to provide reliable results. Wearable accelerometry might provide a reliable, objective, and continuous diagnostic method to assess PD motor symptoms & fluctuations. However, large datasets of simultaneous sensor data and symptom diaries are needed for such method development and validation. We here provide a well-described, open-science dataset of simultaneous, bilateral, wrist-worn accelerometry and symptom diary data from 66 participants (41 male, 25 female) with PD. On average, participants provided data for 6.0 consecutive days resulting in a total of 393.8 days for the dataset as a whole. Symptom diaries include data on kinetic state, tremor, freezing of gait, falls, and PD-related medication intake. Further demographic information is also provided. This dataset will support the development and validation of accelerometry-based approaches to assessing motor symptoms and fluctuations in PD.
References
- 1.Nesser, T. P. R., van der Linden, C., Schedlich-Teufer, C., Brandt, G., Barbe, M. T., & Dembek, T. A. (2026). Continuous observation of Parkinsonian symptoms using symptom diaries & wearable accelerometry. Scientific Data. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.01.23.22269713
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