The Views of Healthcare Professionals on iFall, a Smartphone Application for Falls Reporting in Parkinson’s Disease: A Qualitative Study

Michael Kelly, Jenni Naisby, Jill Wales, Elaine Webster, Gerry Standerline, Gill Barry, Annee Amjad, Jason Moore, Natasha Ratcliffe, Alan Godfrey, Rosie Morris*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Accurate falls reporting is important in the management of Parkinson’s disease. This qualitative study sought to gain insights from healthcare professionals based in the United Kingdom (n=11) on a novel smartphone application co-developed by people with Parkinson’s (PwP) disease for falls reporting. Participants discussed the applications role in clinical practice, research, and provided recommendations for future improvements.
Within the overarching theme of implementation of iFall in clinical and research practice, three subthemes emerged: (1) applicability to clinical practice, (2) the future of iFall in research and (3) future developments. The application was viewed positively, exhibiting potential to address important contemporary issues within falls reporting and research, whilst being clear, simple and easy to use. Implementation challenges of the application, such as IT integration were highlighted, while enhancements such as voice recognition were suggested. Incorporating these suggestions and piloting of the application with PwP, will increase the likelihood of successful implementation into clinical practice and research.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-12
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology
Early online date1 Feb 2025
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 1 Feb 2025

Cite this