Abstract
Purpose: Investigate the reliability of balance and walking assessments undertaken remotely via telehealth in people with PD.
Material and methods: Thirty people with mild-to-moderate PD and 15 older adults performed 14 tests of balance and walking twice between 7 and 14 days: (i) in-person and (ii) remotely via videoconference. The tests included items from the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Dynamic Gait Index (DGI), and Timed-Up-And-Go (TUG) test simple and dual-task. We compared in-person and videoconference performances to assess intra-rater reliability and between two assessors' ratings to evaluate inter-rater reliability. Prospective fall data were collected and compared with balance and gait assessments to assess the criterion validity.
Results: Specific items of BBS (items 5, 11 and 14), DGI (item 1), and TUG simple and dual-task appeared reliable and feasible for use remotely by people with mild to moderate PD. Further, specific assessment items such as 360° turning, stepping performance, pivot turning, and TUG dual-task appeared valid for assessing fall risk remotely.
Conclusions: These findings provide clinicians with a means of remotely assessing balance and walking in people with mild-to-moderate PD who may have difficulty accessing healthcare due to physical limitations, lack of transportation, or residing in remote and rural areas.