Patient-Oriented Smart Applications to Support the Diagnosis, Rehabilitation, and Care of Patients with Parkinson’s: An Umbrella Review

This umbrella review aimed to identify, analyze, and synthesize the results of existing literature reviews related to patient-oriented smart applications to support healthcare provision for patients with Parkinson’s. An electronic search was conducted on Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed, and, after screening using predefined eligibility criteria, 85 reviews were included in the umbrella review. The included studies reported on smart applications integrating wearable devices, smartphones, serious computerized games, and other technologies (e.g., ambient intelligence, computer-based objective assessments, or online platforms) to support the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with Parkinson’s, improve physical and cognitive rehabilitation, and support disease management. Numerous smart applications are potentially useful for patients with Parkinson’s, although their full clinical potential has not yet been demonstrated. This is because the quality of their clinical assessments, as well as aspects related to their acceptability and compliance with requirements from regulatory bodies, have not yet been adequately studied. Future research requires more aligned methods and procedures for experimental assessments, as well as collaborative efforts to avoid replication and promote advances on the topic.