Wearable IMUs for objective assessment
Wearable magneto-inertial measurement units (IMUs) offer an accurate and portable way to assess balance and gait in patients with Parkinson’s disease and Parkinsonisms.
Although several functional tests are available, they often lack the sensitivity to detect subtle changes and do not accurately track the slow disease progression. In this context, IMUs provide an effective and cost-efficient alternative that is already being used in various clinical and research settings.
A new systematic review is now available
A new publication titled “The use of single-point magneto-inertial measurement for gait and dynamic balance assessment of patients with Parkinson’s disease and Parkinsonisms: a systematic review with critical appraisal of clinical applications and quality of reporting” is finally available!
This systematic review results from extensive work by experts from the Motion Analysis Laboratory (LAM) of the Azienda USL-IRCCS of Reggio Emilia, in collaboration with the MerloBioEngineering team. Importantly, the manuscript goes beyond simply compiling existing literature by introducing a dedicated critical appraisal framework aimed at identifying reporting gaps that could limit the reproducibility of research in everyday clinical practice.
Key Findings of the Review
A total of 41 studies involving nearly 400 patients were included in the review.
The analysis highlighted several key limitations in the current literature, especially incomplete reporting of sensor placement, acquisition conditions, computational methods, and clinical characterization of participants. The proposed critical appraisal tool serves as a valuable resource for researchers and authors. By adopting this framework, future studies can enhance reporting quality and contribute to a body of literature that is more transferable, reproducible, and ultimately more impactful for clinical practice. This is of extreme value when dealing with chronic conditions, such as Parkinson’s Disease.
You can read the full free text here.
Collaboration and Acknowledgments
MerloBioEngineering is excited to partner with institutions dedicated to pushing the boundaries of innovation and enhancing technology. A heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Isabella Campanini, Head of the Motion Analysis Laboratory, Dr. Francesco Cavallieri from the Neurology Unit, and their wonderful teams on this significant milestone!
This ongoing collaboration has already produced several great publications, which you can check out in the Posts section.
