Enhancing public health in developing nations through smartphone-based motor assessment

Abstract

Several protocols for motor assessment have been validated for use on smartphones and could be employed by public healthcare systems to monitor motor functional losses in populations, particularly those with lower income levels. In addition to being cost-effective and widely distributed across populations of varying income levels, the use of smartphones in motor assessment offers a range of advantages that could be leveraged by governments, especially in developing and poorer countries. Some topics related to potential interventions should be considered by healthcare managers before initiating the implementation of such a digital intervention.

Keywords: digital health; mHealth; motor assessment; public health; smartphone.

Figure 1

Examples of smartphone uses to evaluate the motor functions such as walk using video capture methods (A), using finger tapping test using touchscreen capture (B), using inertial sensors for static balance control and mobility evaluation while held in a body segment (C), using microphone to record the voice (D), and inertial sensors to evaluate resting handing tremor. Images created using artificial intelligence (see Supplementary material for prompts to generate figures).