Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39333417›Full record

ArticleActa neurochirurgica2024

'Watkins' & 'Watkins2.0': Smart phone applications (Apps) for gait-assessment in normal pressure hydrocephalus and decompensated long-standing overt ventriculomegaly.

Kanza Tariq, Lewis Thorne, Ahmed Toma, Laurence Watkins

Abstract read
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Article in Acta neurochirurgica, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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1citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

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1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Kanza TariqNational Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, UK. kanzaharisqureshi@outlook.com.
Lewis ThorneNational Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, UK.
Ahmed TomaNational Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, UK.
Laurence WatkinsNational Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveGait disturbance is one of the features of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) and decompensated long-standing overt ventriculomegaly (LOVA). The timed-up-and-go (TUG) test and the timed-10-m-walking test (10MWT) are frequently used assessments tools for gait and balance disturbances in NPH and LOVA, as well as several other disorders. We aimed to make smart-phone apps which perform both the 10MWT and the TUG-test and record the results for individual patients, thus making it possible for patients to have an objective assessment of their progress. Patients with a suitable smart phone can perform repeat assessments in their home environment, providing a measure of progress for them and for their clinical team.

methods10MWT and TUG-test were performed by 50 healthy adults, 67 NPH and 10 LOVA patients, as well as 5 elderly patients as part of falls risk assessment using the Watkins2.0 app. The 10MWT was assessed with timed slow-pace and fast-pace. Statistical analysis used SPSS (version 25.0, IBM) by paired t-test, comparing the healthy and the NPH cohorts. Level of precision of the app as compared to a clinical observer using a stopwatch was evaluated using receiver operating characteristics curve.

resultsAs compared to a clinical observer using a stopwatch, in 10MWT the app showed 100% accuracy in the measure of time taken to cover distance in whole seconds, 95% accuracy in the number of steps taken with an error ± 1-3 steps, and 97% accuracy in the measure of total distance covered with error of ± 0.25-0.50 m. The TUG test has 100% accuracy in time taken to complete the test in whole seconds, 97% accuracy in the number of steps with an error of ± 1-2 steps and 87.5% accuracy in the distance covered with error of ± 0.50 m. In the measure of time, the app was found to have equal sensitivity as an observer. In measure of number of steps and distance, the app demonstrated high sensitivity and precision (AUC > 0.9). The app also showed significant level of discrimination between healthy and gait-impaired individuals.

conclusion'Watkins' and 'Watkins2.0' are efficient apps for objective performance of 10MWT and the TUG-test in NPH and LOVA patients and has application in several other pathologies characterised by gait and balance disturbance.

Indexed as

HydrocephalusHydrocephalus, Normal PressureMobile ApplicationsSmartphoneAdultAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleGaitGait AnalysisGait Disorders, NeurologicHumansMaleMiddle Aged10 metre walking testNormal pressure hydrocephalusSmart phone application

Identifiers

PMID39333417
PMCPMC11436405

What Socratic holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.