NICE updates guidance on PKG use for Parkinson's management

Knowledge
16 Jul 2021

Personal KinetiGraphs have been used to remotely monitor the motor function of people with Parkinson's for several years. In May this year, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published guidance on their use for remote clinical management of the condition.

This month, NICE has updated their medtech innovation briefing (MIB) on the topic, adding in details of a new study (Woodrow et al. 2020) and further updates on the ongoing UK PKG Registry. They also note the addition of information about studies that have validated Personal KinetiGraph measures.

NICE reports that:

'In the NHS 2,000 PKGs are used each year. Several services are trialling the PKG for remote motor assessment, including University Hospitals Plymouth and King's Parkinson's Centre. Most services do not have a formal pathway for remote management with the PKG. Clinicians would need to be trained how to read the report, which is included in the cost of the service.'

p4, 'Personal KinetiGraph for remote clinical management of Parkinson’s disease', 2021

The Personal KinetiGraph (PKG), developed by Australian company Global Kinetics is a wearable device, collecting data from a person with Parkinson's about their motor symptoms such as tremor, slow or involuntary movements, freezing and gait changes. The data is sent to their physician to aid assessment and monitoring.

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