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Cummins MR, Soni H, Ivanova J, Ong T, Barrera J, Wilczewski H, Welch B, Bunnell BE. Narrative review of telemedicine applications in decentralized research. J Clin Transl Sci 2024; 8:e30. [PMID: 38384915 PMCID: PMC10880018 DOI: 10.1017/cts.2024.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Telemedicine enables critical human communication and interaction between researchers and participants in decentralized research studies. There is a need to better understand the overall scope of telemedicine applications in clinical research as the basis for further research. This narrative, nonsystematic review of the literature sought to review and discuss applications of telemedicine, in the form of synchronous videoconferencing, in clinical research. We searched PubMed to identify relevant literature published between January 1, 2013, and June 30, 2023. Two independent screeners assessed titles and abstracts for inclusion, followed by single-reviewer full-text screening, and we organized the literature into core themes through consensus discussion. We screened 1044 publications for inclusion. Forty-eight publications met our inclusion and exclusion criteria. We identified six core themes to serve as the structure for the narrative review: infrastructure and training, recruitment, informed consent, assessment, monitoring, and engagement. Telemedicine applications span all stages of clinical research from initial planning and recruitment to informed consent and data collection. While the evidence base for using telemedicine in clinical research is not well-developed, existing evidence suggests that telemedicine is a potentially powerful tool in clinical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mollie R. Cummins
- University of Utah, College of Nursing, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Doxy.me Research, Doxy.me Inc., Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Hiral Soni
- Doxy.me Research, Doxy.me Inc., Rochester, NY, USA
| | | | - Triton Ong
- Doxy.me Research, Doxy.me Inc., Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Janelle Barrera
- Doxy.me Research, Doxy.me Inc., Rochester, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | | | - Brandon Welch
- Doxy.me Research, Doxy.me Inc., Rochester, NY, USA
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Brian E. Bunnell
- Doxy.me Research, Doxy.me Inc., Rochester, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
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Keavney JL, Mathur S, Schroeder K, Merrell R, Castillo-Torres SA, Gao V, Crotty GF, Schwarzschild MA, Poma JM. Perspectives of People At-Risk on Parkinson's Prevention Research. JOURNAL OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE 2024; 14:399-414. [PMID: 38489198 DOI: 10.3233/jpd-230436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
The movement toward prevention trials in people at-risk for Parkinson's disease (PD) is rapidly becoming a reality. The authors of this article include a genetically at-risk advocate with the LRRK2 G2019 S variant and two patients with rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD), one of whom has now been diagnosed with PD. These authors participated as speakers, panelists, and moderators in the "Planning for Prevention of Parkinson's: A Trial Design Forum" hosted by Massachusetts General Hospital in 2021 and 2022. Other authors include a young onset person with Parkinson's (PwP) and retired family physician, an expert in patient engagement in Parkinson's, and early career and veteran movement disorders clinician researchers. Several themes emerged from the at-risk participant voice concerning the importance of early intervention, the legitimacy of their input in decision-making, and the desire for transparent communication and feedback throughout the entire research study process. Challenges and opportunities in the current environment include lack of awareness among primary care physicians and general neurologists about PD risk, legal and psychological implications of risk disclosure, limited return of individual research study results, and undefined engagement and integration of individuals at-risk into the broader Parkinson's community. Incorporating the perspectives of individuals at-risk as well as those living with PD at this early stage of prevention trial development is crucial to success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessi L Keavney
- Parkinson's Foundation, Parkinson's Advocates in Research Program, Pendergrass, GA, USA
| | | | - Karlin Schroeder
- Parkinson's Foundation, Associate Vice President of Community Engagement, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Sergio A Castillo-Torres
- Edmond J. Safra Fellow in Movement Disorders, Servicio de Movimientos Anormales, Fleni, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Virginia Gao
- Movement Disorders Fellow, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Grace F Crotty
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael A Schwarzschild
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - John M Poma
- Parkinson's Foundation, People with Parkinson's Advisory Council, Glen Allen, VA, USA
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Jensen-Roberts S, Myers TL, Auinger P, Cannon P, Rowbotham HM, Coker D, Chanoff E, Soto J, Pawlik M, Amodeo K, Sharma S, Valdovinos B, Wilson R, Sarkar A, McDermott MP, Alcalay RN, Biglan K, Kinel D, Tanner C, Winter-Evans R, Augustine EF, Holloway RG, Dorsey ER, Schneider RB. A Remote Longitudinal Observational Study of Individuals at Genetic Risk for Parkinson Disease. Neurol Genet 2022; 8:e200008. [PMID: 35966918 PMCID: PMC9372873 DOI: 10.1212/nxg.0000000000200008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Background and Objectives To recruit and characterize a national cohort of individuals who have a genetic variant (LRRK2 G2019S) that increases risk of Parkinson disease (PD), assess participant satisfaction with a decentralized, remote research model, and evaluate interest in future clinical trials. Methods In partnership with 23andMe, Inc., a personal genetics company, LRRK2 G2019S carriers with and without PD were recruited to participate in an ongoing 36-month decentralized, remote natural history study. We examined concordance between self-reported and clinician-determined PD diagnosis. We applied the Movement Disorder Society Prodromal Parkinson's Disease Criteria and asked investigators to identify concern for parkinsonism to distinguish participants with probable prodromal PD. We compared baseline characteristics of LRRK2 G2019S carriers with PD, with prodromal PD, and without PD. Results Over 15 months, we enrolled 277 LRRK2 G2019S carriers from 34 states. At baseline, 60 had self-reported PD (mean [SD] age 67.8 years [8.4], 98% White, 52% female, 80% Ashkenazi Jewish, and 67% with a family history of PD), and 217 did not (mean [SD] age 53.7 years [15.1], 95% White, 59% female, 73% Ashkenazi Jewish, and 57% with a family history of PD). Agreement between self-reported and clinician-determined PD status was excellent (κ = 0.94, 95% confidence interval 0.89–0.99). Twenty-four participants had prodromal PD; 9 met criteria for probable prodromal PD and investigators identified concern for parkinsonism in 20 cases. Compared with those without prodromal PD, participants with prodromal PD were older (63.9 years [9.0] vs 51.9 years [15.1], p < 0.001), had higher modified Movement Disorders Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor scores (5.7 [4.3] vs 0.8 [2.1], p < 0.001), and had higher Scale for Outcomes in PD for Autonomic Symptoms scores (11.5 [6.2] vs 6.9 [5.7], p = 0.002). Two-thirds of participants enrolled were new to research, 97% were satisfied with the overall study, and 94% of those without PD would participate in future preventive clinical trials. Discussion An entirely remote national cohort of LRRK2 G2019S carriers was recruited from a single site. This study will prospectively characterize a large LRRK2 G2019S cohort, refine a new model of clinical research, and engage new research participants willing to participate in future therapeutic trials.
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Aisen PS, Jimenez-Maggiora GA, Rafii MS, Walter S, Raman R. Early-stage Alzheimer disease: getting trial-ready. Nat Rev Neurol 2022; 18:389-399. [PMID: 35379951 PMCID: PMC8978175 DOI: 10.1038/s41582-022-00645-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Slowing the progression of Alzheimer disease (AD) might be the greatest unmet medical need of our time. Although one AD therapeutic has received a controversial accelerated approval from the FDA, more effective and accessible therapies are urgently needed. Consensus is growing that for meaningful disease modification in AD, therapeutic intervention must be initiated at very early (preclinical or prodromal) stages of the disease. Although the methods for such early-stage clinical trials have been developed, identification and recruitment of the required asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic study participants takes many years and requires substantial funds. As an example, in the Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer’s Disease Trial (the first phase III trial to be performed in preclinical AD), 3.5 years and more than 5,900 screens were required to recruit and randomize 1,169 participants. A new clinical trials infrastructure is required to increase the efficiency of recruitment and accelerate therapeutic progress. Collaborations in North America, Europe and Asia are now addressing this need by establishing trial-ready cohorts of individuals with preclinical and prodromal AD. These collaborations are employing innovative methods to engage the target population, assess risk of brain amyloid accumulation, select participants for biomarker studies and determine eligibility for trials. In the future, these programmes could provide effective tools for pursuing the primary prevention of AD. Here, we review the lessons learned from the AD trial-ready cohorts that have been established to date, with the aim of informing ongoing and future efforts towards efficient, cost-effective trial recruitment. Consensus is growing that intervention in the very early stages of Alzheimer disease is necessary for disease modification. Here, the authors discuss the challenges of recruiting asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic participants for clinical trials, focusing on ‘trial-ready’ cohorts as a potential solution. Trial-ready cohorts are an effective strategy for the identification of participants eligible for clinical trials in early-stage Alzheimer disease (AD). Building these cohorts requires considerable planning and technological infrastructure to facilitate recruitment, remote longitudinal assessment, data management and data storage. Trial-ready cohorts exist for genetically determined populations at risk of AD, such as those with familial AD and Down syndrome; the longitudinal data from these cohorts is improving our understanding of the disease progression in early stages, informing clinical trial design and accelerating recruitment to intervention studies. So far, the challenges experienced by trial-ready cohorts for early-stage AD have included difficulties recruiting an ethnically and racially representative cohort; and for online cohorts, difficulty retaining participants. The results of ongoing work will reveal the success of strategies to improve cohort diversity and retention, and the rates of referral to clinical trials.
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Moving Forward from the COVID-19 Pandemic: Needed Changes in Movement Disorders Care and Research. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 2022; 22:113-122. [PMID: 35107786 PMCID: PMC8809223 DOI: 10.1007/s11910-022-01178-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Purpose of Review The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected the health and well-being of individuals with movement disorders. This manuscript reviews these effects, discusses pandemic-related changes in clinical care and research, and suggests improvements to care and research models. Recent Findings During the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, individuals with movement disorders have experienced worsening of symptoms, likely due to decreased access to care, loss of social connection, and decreased physical activity. Through telemedicine, care has moved out of the clinic and into the home. Clinical research has also been significantly disrupted, and there has been a shift to decentralized approaches. The pandemic has highlighted disparities in access to care and representation in research. Summary We must now translate these experiences into better care and research models with a focus on equitable integration of telemedicine, better support of patients and caregivers, the development of meaningful digital endpoints, and optimization of decentralized research designs.
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Myers TL, Augustine EF, Baloga E, Daeschler M, Cannon P, Rowbotham H, Chanoff E, Jensen-Roberts S, Soto J, Holloway RG, Marras C, Tanner CM, Ray Dorsey E, Schneider RB. Recruitment for Remote Decentralized Studies in Parkinson's Disease. JOURNAL OF PARKINSONS DISEASE 2021; 12:371-380. [PMID: 34744053 PMCID: PMC8842745 DOI: 10.3233/jpd-212935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Background: Traditional in-person Parkinson’s disease (PD) research studies are often slow to recruit and place unnecessary burden on participants. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has added new impetus to the development of new research models. Objective: To compare recruitment processes and outcomes of three remote decentralized observational PD studies with video visits. Methods: We examined the number of participants recruited, speed of recruitment, geographic distribution of participants, and strategies used to enhance recruitment in FIVE, a cross-sectional study of Fox Insight participants with and without PD (n = 203); VALOR-PD, a longitudinal study of 23andMe, Inc. research participants carrying the LRRK2 G2019S variant with and without PD (n = 277); and AT-HOME PD, a longitudinal study of former phase III clinical trial participants with PD (n = 226). Results: Across the three studies, 706 participants from 45 U.S. states and Canada enrolled at a mean per study rate of 4.9 participants per week over an average of 51 weeks. The cohorts were demographically homogenous with regard to race (over 95%white) and level of education (over 90%with more than a high school education). The number of participants living in primary care Health Professional Shortage Areas in each study ranged from 30.3–42.9%. Participants reported interest in future observational (98.5–99.6%) and interventional (76.1–87.6%) research studies with remote video visits. Conclusion: Recruitment of large, geographically dispersed remote cohorts from a single location is feasible. Interest in participation in future remote decentralized PD studies is high. More work is needed to identify best practices for recruitment, particularly of diverse participants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor L Myers
- Center for Health, +, Technology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Erika F Augustine
- Center for Health, +, Technology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.,Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Elizabeth Baloga
- Center for Health, +, Technology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Julia Soto
- Center for Health, +, Technology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Robert G Holloway
- Department of Neurology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Connie Marras
- The Edmond J Safra Program in Parkinson's disease, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Caroline M Tanner
- Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.,PADRECC, San Francisco VAMC, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - E Ray Dorsey
- Center for Health, +, Technology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Ruth B Schneider
- Center for Health, +, Technology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
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Schneider RB, Omberg L, Macklin EA, Daeschler M, Bataille L, Anthwal S, Myers TL, Baloga E, Duquette S, Snyder P, Amodeo K, Tarolli CG, Adams JL, Callahan KF, Gottesman J, Kopil CM, Lungu C, Ascherio A, Beck JC, Biglan K, Espay AJ, Tanner C, Oakes D, Shoulson I, Novak D, Kayson E, Ray Dorsey E, Mangravite L, Schwarzschild MA, Simuni T. Design of a virtual longitudinal observational study in Parkinson's disease (AT-HOME PD). Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2021; 8:308-320. [PMID: 33350601 PMCID: PMC7886038 DOI: 10.1002/acn3.51236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The expanding power and accessibility of personal technology provide an opportunity to reduce burdens and costs of traditional clinical site-centric therapeutic trials in Parkinson's disease and generate novel insights. The value of this approach has never been more evident than during the current COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to (1) establish and implement the infrastructure for longitudinal, virtual follow-up of clinical trial participants, (2) compare changes in smartphone-based assessments, online patient-reported outcomes, and remote expert assessments, and (3) explore novel digital markers of Parkinson's disease disability and progression. METHODS Participants from two recently completed phase III clinical trials of inosine and isradipine enrolled in Assessing Tele-Health Outcomes in Multiyear Extensions of Parkinson's Disease trials (AT-HOME PD), a two-year virtual cohort study. After providing electronic informed consent, individuals complete annual video visits with a movement disorder specialist, smartphone-based assessments of motor function and socialization, and patient-reported outcomes online. RESULTS From the two clinical trials, 226 individuals from 42 states in the United States and Canada enrolled. Of these, 181 (80%) have successfully downloaded the study's smartphone application and 161 (71%) have completed patient-reported outcomes on the online platform. INTERPRETATION It is feasible to conduct a large-scale, international virtual observational study following the completion of participation in brick-and-mortar clinical trials in Parkinson's disease. This study, which brings research to participants, will compare established clinical endpoints with novel digital biomarkers and thereby inform the longitudinal follow-up of clinical trial participants and design of future clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth B. Schneider
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of Rochester Medical CenterRochesterNew YorkUSA
- Center for Health + TechnologyUniversity of Rochester Medical CenterRochesterNew YorkUSA
| | | | - Eric A. Macklin
- Biostatistics CenterMassachusetts General HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Margaret Daeschler
- The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s ResearchNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Lauren Bataille
- The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s ResearchNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Shalini Anthwal
- Center for Health + TechnologyUniversity of Rochester Medical CenterRochesterNew YorkUSA
| | - Taylor L. Myers
- Center for Health + TechnologyUniversity of Rochester Medical CenterRochesterNew YorkUSA
| | - Elizabeth Baloga
- Center for Health + TechnologyUniversity of Rochester Medical CenterRochesterNew YorkUSA
| | - Sidney Duquette
- Center for Health + TechnologyUniversity of Rochester Medical CenterRochesterNew YorkUSA
| | | | - Katherine Amodeo
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of Rochester Medical CenterRochesterNew YorkUSA
| | - Christopher G Tarolli
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of Rochester Medical CenterRochesterNew YorkUSA
- Center for Health + TechnologyUniversity of Rochester Medical CenterRochesterNew YorkUSA
| | - Jamie L. Adams
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of Rochester Medical CenterRochesterNew YorkUSA
- Center for Health + TechnologyUniversity of Rochester Medical CenterRochesterNew YorkUSA
| | | | - Joshua Gottesman
- The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s ResearchNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Catherine M. Kopil
- The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s ResearchNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Codrin Lungu
- Division of Clinical ResearchNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and StrokeBethesdaMarylandUSA
| | - Alberto Ascherio
- Department of NutritionHarvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | | | - Kevin Biglan
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of Rochester Medical CenterRochesterNew YorkUSA
- Eli Lilly and CompanyIndianapolisIndianaUSA
| | - Alberto J. Espay
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of CincinnatiCincinnatiOhioUSA
| | - Caroline Tanner
- Department of NeurologyWeill Institute for NeurosciencesUniversity of CaliforniaSan Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care SystemSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - David Oakes
- Department of BiostatisticsUniversity of Rochester Medical CenterRochesterNew YorkUSA
| | - Ira Shoulson
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of Rochester Medical CenterRochesterNew YorkUSA
- Center for Health + TechnologyUniversity of Rochester Medical CenterRochesterNew YorkUSA
- Grey Matter TechnologiesSarasotaFloridaUSA
| | - Dan Novak
- Parkinson’s FoundationNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Elise Kayson
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of Rochester Medical CenterRochesterNew YorkUSA
- Center for Health + TechnologyUniversity of Rochester Medical CenterRochesterNew YorkUSA
| | - Earl Ray Dorsey
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of Rochester Medical CenterRochesterNew YorkUSA
- Center for Health + TechnologyUniversity of Rochester Medical CenterRochesterNew YorkUSA
| | | | | | - Tanya Simuni
- Department of NeurologyNorthwestern University Feinberg School of MedicineChicagoIllinoisUSA
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