Effect of the Yon PDⓇ on the management of self-care in people with Parkinson’s disease: a randomized controlled study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND As the percentage of the older population increases, the percentage of people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) also increases. People with PD experience a range of non-motor symptoms, including pain, constipation, dysphagia, sleep disturbances, and fatigue. Because PD is a chronic disease that requires lifelong management, people with PD need to improve their self-care. OBJECTIVE To examine the effectiveness of a mobile application on the management of self-care in people with PD. METHODS Design: A randomized controlled study Setting(s): Participants were recruited from the neurology outpatient clinic of S hospital in South Korea between October 2022 and February 2023. Participants: In total, 93 participants were included in the analysis. There were 41 and 52 participants in the intervention and control group, respectively. Methods: People with PD aged 50 years and older and able to use a smartphone were recruited from a tertiary hospital in South Korea. The intervention group received the Yon PD® mobile app, which monitors and records the non-motor symptoms of PD. The control group was asked to record their non-motor symptoms on a paper questionnaire. The intervention took place over 12 weeks, and the level of self-care was assessed in both groups at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks. RESULTS Although the general characteristics of the two groups were comparable, monitoring non-motor symptoms with the Yon PD® app effectively increased self-care maintenance and prevented a decrease in self-care monitoring. However, self-care management gradually decreased over the 12-week period in both groups. The intervention adherence rate reached 60.84% at 6 weeks but decreased to 41.87% by 12 weeks. CONCLUSIONS Participants were able to improve the degree of self-care by monitoring their non-motor symptoms using the Yon PD® app. However, additional strategies that increase motivation and enjoyment are required to improve adherence. CLINICALTRIAL Clinical Research Information Service KCT006433. The first recruitment was conducted in October 2022.