Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the Neuromotor pen (NMP) as a screening tool for Parkinson’s disease in a rural Tanzanian population.
Background: Tanzania has few neurological specialists; diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD) are often delayed, particularly in rural areas where healthcare access, health literacy, and education levels are limited. The NMP is a portable medical device designed to aid diagnosis of PD through objective assessment of multiple symptom domains, including motor and cognitive function. Evaluating its feasibility as a screening tool may support earlier identification of people with Parkinson’s disease (PwP) in low-resource settings.
Method: Fourteen PwP in Hai district, previously identified through a door-to-door survey as part of the Transforming Parkinson’s Care in Africa study, were followed up. Thirteen of the 14 participants were established on drug treatment (levodopa and carbidopa) before this assessment. Motor and cognitive performance were assessed using the NMP and validated scales, including the MDS Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS), Hoehn and Yahr scale, and the Identification and Intervention for Dementia in Elderly Africans (IDEA) screen. Upper-limb specific tremor scores measured by the NMP and by MDS-UPDRS were compared.
Results: The NMP assessment was well accepted by all participants, although 50% rated the assessment as ‘difficult’ or ‘very difficult’. Facilitating the motor tasks posed minimal difficulty, and literacy did not affect ability to use the stylus. The cognitive components were more challenging; several tasks required conceptual knowledge unfamiliar to some participants. Inter-rater reliability of the NMP and MDS-UPDRS upper-limb tremor scores was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) with a two-way random effects model. Reliability for a single measurement was poor (ICC = 0.334, 95% CI 0.173–0.594), whereas the reliability of the average of measurements was good (ICC = 0.857, 95% CI 0.716–0.946; p < 0.001).
Conclusion: The NMP showed potential as a scalable tool. Further cultural adaptation is required for use in similar cohorts. Analysis comparing total MDS-UPDRS III and NMP motor scores is ongoing.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
I. Terry, T. Neal, R. Haggie, W. Eliamini, S. Linus, M. Dekker, S. Urasa, D. Mushi, R. Zietsma, D. Bramwell, C. Papasavvas, C. Nye, R. Walker, C. Dotchin. Feasibility study of a portable medical device, the Neuromotor pen, as a screening tool for Parkinson’s disease in a rural northern Tanzania [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2026; 41 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/feasibility-study-of-a-portable-medical-device-the-neuromotor-pen-as-a-screening-tool-for-parkinsons-disease-in-a-rural-northern-tanzania/. Accessed October 1, 2026.« Back to 2026 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/feasibility-study-of-a-portable-medical-device-the-neuromotor-pen-as-a-screening-tool-for-parkinsons-disease-in-a-rural-northern-tanzania/