Objective: To describe the protocol and preliminary findings of a fully remote, longitudinal at-home study in people with Parkinson’s disease (PwP) and healthy controls (HC), integrating traditional clinical assessments with both active and passive monitoring using smartphones and smartwatches.

Background: Sensor-based technologies, such as smartphones and smartwatches, offer scalable and user-friendly platforms for remote monitoring of movement disorders. However, longitudinal studies are required to determine whether measures from such devices can reliably distinguish PwP from controls and sensitively track disease progression.

Method: Participants were enrolled in the Oxford Quantification in Parkinsonism (OxQUIP) at-home study. Over 16 months, five telemedicine visits were conducted at 4-monthly intervals, during which participants underwent MDS-UPDRS-III assessments and cognitive testing. In parallel, participants completed monthly app-based assessments (17 total sessions) on a smartphone and smartwatch. These sessions included symptom surveys and structured tasks assessing voice, fine motor function, cognition, gait, and balance. Midway through the study, a subset of eleven participants took part in a passive monitoring feasibility component, wearing the smartwatch continuously for four consecutive days following their active assessments.

Results: A total of 131 participants were enrolled: 96 PwP (mean age 67 years; 41.7% female; mean disease duration 60 months [range 5–193]; 7 de novo) and 35 HC (mean age 68 years; 57.1% female). Over 16 months, PwP demonstrated a mean 5-point increase in UPDRS-III score (22.6%). Adherence was high across groups, with mean adherence exceeding 94% for both PwP and HC. 16,375/17,816 app-based tasks were completed (91.9%). Passive monitoring participants demonstrated high compliance, with participants partaking in 84/88 wear periods. End-of-study surveys indicated favourable user experience regarding ease of use (63.1%), comfort (81.4%), and overall satisfaction (83.2%).

Conclusion: The OxQUIP at-home study aims to explore whether measures derived from smartphones and smartwatches can serve as effective tools for future studies. The described protocol and initial results support this approach. Ongoing analyses will evaluate longitudinal progression of sensor-based measures.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/the-oxquip-at-home-study-protocol-and-preliminary-findings/