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

• DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2021.103125
• Publication Date: 2021-06-29T15:46:44Z
• Authors: Ashvin Kuri; Benjamin Meir Jacobs; Sara Leddy; Klaus Schmierer; Benjamin Turner; Kimberley Allen-P...; Andrea Stennett; Gavin Giovannoni; Alison Thomson; Ruth Dobson
• Keywords: Disability Evaluation; 03 medical and health sciences; Multiple Sclerosis; 0302 clinical medicine; Humans; Walking; 3. Good health

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