Design of a Neurorehabilitation System for Patients with Parkinson's Disease, with a Focus on Therapy outside the Clinical Setting

M. Fechner (Poznan Univ. of Techn., Poland), E. Kozielewska-Zwierska, A. Krawczyński (Poznan Univ. of Medical Sciences, Poland)

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that affects around 10 million people worldwide and approximately 100,000 people in Poland. Rehabilitation for Parkinson’s disease is a factor that can significantly influence patients’ well-being; however, access to rehabilitation is often limited. Development of a system supporting daily rehabilitation outside clinical settings might provide real support for patients with Parkinson’s disease. At the same time, the design of such a system may require consideration of the clinical specifics of the disease, the resulting challenges for patients in using the system, the development of exercises that are safe for patients and tailored to the individual progression of the disease, as well as the proposal of technical and manufacturing solutions for such a system. This paper attempts to address the issues raised above, outlining the approach for designing such a system from both a clinical and a technical perspective. In particular, selected elements of building a database of rehabilitation exercises, selected system components that may require special consideration from the perspective of a patient with Parkinson’s disease, the minimum functional and non-functional requirements of such a system, and selected methods and technical measures used in the construction of a prototype of such a system are presented. The result of the work being described is a prototype system supporting telerehabilitation for patients with Parkinson’s disease, subsequently evaluated by medical specialists. The paper concludes with a brief summary and an indication of further research directions.