Reliability of using foot-worn devices to measure gait parameters in people with Parkinson's disease.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Recent advances in technology have warranted the use of wearable sensors to monitor gait and posture. However, the psychometric properties of using wearable devices to measure gait-related outcomes have not been fully established in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the test-retest reliability of body-worn sensors for gait evaluation in people with PD. Additionally, the influence of disease severity on the reliability was determined. METHODS: Twenty individuals with PD were recruited. During the first evaluation, the participants wore inertial sensors on their shoes and walked along a walkway thrice at their comfortable walking speed. The participants were then required to return to the lab after 3-5 days to complete the second evaluation with the same study procedure. Test-retest reliability of gait-related outcomes were calculated. To determine whether the results would be affected by disease severity, reliability was re-calculated by subdividing the participants into early and mid-advanced stages of the disease. RESULTS: The results showed moderate to good reliability (ICC = 0.64-0.87) of the wearable sensors for gait assessment in the general population with PD. Subgroup analysis showed that the reliability was higher among patients at early stages (ICC = 0.71-0.97) compared to those at mid-advanced stages (ICC = 0.65-0.81) of PD. CONCLUSIONS: Wearable sensors could reliably measure gait parameters in people with PD, and the reliability was higher among individuals at early stages of the disease compared to those at mid-advanced stages. Absolute reliability values were calculated to act as references for future studies.