Ring wearable sensor use for diagnosis and monitoring of Parkinson's disease in underserved rural populations

Abstract The objective of this project is to develop an innovative ring sensor system, to be worn on the finger, for the diagnosis and monitoring of Parkinson's disease (PD) in underserved rural populations. Rural regions of the US have been observed to be disproportionately impacted by PD due to higher rates of diagnosis, while also lacking access to neurologists and other allied health professionals, who are overconcentrated in urban areas with academic medical centers. As a result, rural PwPD may be diagnosed later in the disease process and have fewer specialty care visits which leads to increased hospitalizations, morbidity and decreased quality of life. The proposed inexpensive, easy-to-use ring can be worn daily, adjustable to any finger and used to support both early diagnosis and ongoing symptom management. This ring could be used as a screening tool to detect PD and alert primary care physicians (PCP) much earlier than typical. It could also be used as a tool to aid in the remote management of PD as movement disorder specialists could use the data to assess medication timing and management or deep brain stimulation (DBS) programming settings. The proposed system is designed with a rural low-income user in mind. No Internet connection or smartphone/computer technology is required. Wearable sensors for medical use in PD patients are plagued with usability concerns, many focused on the stigma associated with wearing them in prominent locations. They also typically require a smartphone, app and/or Internet connectivity which may limit their applicability for rural populations. There is therefore a need for a discreet device without the need for Internet connectivity to be useful for rural PwPD. Newly available ultraminiature high-capacity curved battery and IMU technologies make the proposed ring technically feasible at this time.