Comparing subjective and objective response to medications in Parkinson's disease patients using the Personal...

Management of motor symptoms in Parkinson's Disease(PD) relies on subjective information provided by patients, the quality of which can be affected by many factors.

Objective data collected during daily life could complement this information and improve management of motor symptoms.

To assess the usefulness of the Personal KinetiGraph (PKG) in characterizing the intensity and timing of motor symptoms in PD patients.

Retrospective study of all PD patients followed at a tertiary academic movement disorders center assessed by PKG between December 1, 2016 and October 30, 2018. PKG was worn for 7 days prior to the clinical visit. We compared the information obtained from the interview and the clinical visit, and assessed the impact of the PKG on treatment decision making.

170 PKG results were reviewed. PKG complemented patient input in 82.9%(141/170) and led to medication changes in 71%(100/141) of the complemented inputs. PKG contributed the least to correcting or complementing patients' input when patients self-reported as undertreated (22%) and the most when patient were unable to answer all questions regarding motor response to individual doses (100%) (Fisher, p < 0.0001). The majority of patient undergoing 3 or 4 PKG encounters did not reach a controlled state as defined by PKG until the 3rd or 4th encounter, suggesting that repeated use of the PKG might be needed to help optimize motor control as therapy changes done after one encounter might not be enough.

PKG might be useful in supplementing patient-provided information for accurate assessment and treatment plan.