Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects 6.3 million people worldwide and has a debilitating effect on its sufferers. It is well known that PD causes problems in movement, and sometimes complete freezing, as well as hidden non-motor symptoms that are the cause of confusion and speech difficulties. What is less known is that these symptoms come and go during the day (periods ON and OFF).
Current treatments are based on the identification and fluctuations of ON and OFF for a patient. The use of ICT tools for measuring disease progression in PD has become an emerging research topic during recent years. However, none of the available technologies have been able to show an effective approach to diagnose and follow the disease status and, subsequently, have been unable to provide personalized and appropriate treatment.
PARK-IT project develops a wearable device that is placed on the patient’s waist within a comfortable belt. Firstly, using a set of sensors, advanced algorithms and signal processing methods, this device identifies and records the patient’s PD motors symptoms (ON/OFF fluctuations, among others). Secondly, when this information is collected and thanks to a mobile application, the information is accessible to patients and their health care professionals. The knowledge provided by the device helps doctors and patients to make informed and improved decisions on how to treat the individual’s changing PD.
PARK-IT’s device is the first available on the market that allows a reliable, extensive, continuous, direct, interoperable, and cost- effective monitoring of PD in ambulatory conditions. Now, PARK-IT provides quantitative insights to inform patients and their health professional about their PD status and evolution in ambulatory conditions.
The overall objectives to be achieved by the PARK-IT 2.0 project are:
• To redesign the current device and app in order to obtain a ready-to-market version and its industrialization plan.
• To obtain the certification of the solution as a medical device (Class IIa).
• To build actions (promotion, participation in pilots…) in order to promote the use of the device as a PD monitor, and create awareness of its benefits to PD’s patients, neurologists, and distributors.
• To be able to launch the solution to the European market by the end of 2019.
As a conclusion after the end of the project, three main conclusions can be announced:
• All the objectives have been achieved with success.
• The new device, with the commercial name STAT-ON has been certified as medical device Class IIa and has been launched to the European market
• 500 devices have been manufactured and used mainly for diffusion and promotion.
