Evaluation of remote assessments for multiple sclerosis in an in-home setting

Ashvin Kuri; Benjamin Meir Jacobs; Sara Leddy; Klaus Schmierer; Benjamin Turner; Kimberley Allen-Philbey; Andrea Stennett; Gavin Giovannoni; Alison Thomson; Ruth Dobson

doi:10.1016/j.msard.2021.103125

Evaluation of remote assessments for multiple sclerosis in an in-home setting

Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2021 Sep:54:103125. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2021.103125. Epub 2021 Jun 29.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Preventive Neurology Unit, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, QMUL.
² Preventive Neurology Unit, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, QMUL; Department of Neurology, Royal London Hospital.
³ Preventive Neurology Unit, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, QMUL; Department of Neurology, Brighton and Sussex University Hospital NHS Trust.
⁴ Department of Neurology, Royal London Hospital; Blizard Institute, QMUL.
⁵ Department of Neurology, Royal London Hospital.
⁶ Preventive Neurology Unit, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, QMUL; Department of Neurology, Royal London Hospital; Blizard Institute, QMUL.
⁷ Preventive Neurology Unit, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, QMUL; Department of Neurology, Royal London Hospital. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 34246018
DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2021.103125

Abstract

Background: There is an urgent clinical need for reliable remote monitoring methods in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). We evaluated the use of remotely patient-recorded timed 25-foot walk (rT25FW) and nine-hole peg test (r9HPT).

Methods: Seventy-one people with MS completed a previously-validated online EDSS (webEDSS) and r9HPT, and 108 completed the webEDSS and rT25FW.

Results: There was a mild-moderate positive correlation between webEDSS and rT25FW, and no significant correlation between webEDSS and r9HPT. Distributions of rT25FW and r9HPT times were positively skewed.

Conclusions: Our results provide pilot evidence that remote monitoring of MS is potentially valid but requires refinement before wide-scale implementation. With a median EDSS of 4.5 and EDSS range of 0 - 8.0, at least some patients with ambulatory difficulty are able to complete the assessments.

Keywords: Disability; Edss; Multiple sclerosis; Remote assessment.

MeSH terms

Disability Evaluation
Humans
Multiple Sclerosis* / diagnosis
Walking