Dr Paolo Pelicioni, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Otago School of Physiotherapy, is leading the research, which aims to recruit about 160 more Dunedin people to take part in a study, which began in January.
This "telehealth" initiative aims to validate existing "gold standard" face-to-face assessment methods to enable the walking ability and balance of patients to be reliably assessed at a distance, using computer or smartphone cameras.
"People living in remote areas often suffer from disadvantages of not being able to go to big cities to seek for treatment, " Dr Pelicioni said.
Sometimes health professionals could not to visit people living in remote areas either.
"From the tools that will be developed in this research we are hoping to reduce these disadvantages in providing remote balance and walking assessment for people living in remote areas.
"If these people have a laptop and/or a cellphone with camera and internet, health professionals will be able to undertake balance and walking assessments," he said.
Such assessments would be "the first step towards the reduction of this inequity, and then prescription of physical exercises remotely will be easier and achievable", he said.
People with neurological disorders suffered from poor health outcomes, such as reduced physical functioning and frequent falls, he warned.
Telehealth — being able to assess and help treat a patient through remote vision and sound — might address these challenges.
The Dunedin REMOTE study aimed to generate a "reliable, feasible and safe mobility test" which could be undertaken via videoconference.
By increasing access to health care, via telehealth, practitioners could improve their patients’ physical functioning and quality of life.
Researchers were this month trying to recruit 10 more healthy Dunedin people aged 65 and older, and with access to an iPad or smartphone.
Scientists also wished to recruit about 40 people with each of the following conditions: Parkinson’s disease;
stroke; multiple sclerosis; and post-concussion syndrome.
Dr Pelicioni, who is being mentored by Profs Leigh Hale and Debra Waters, said this research would "make a big difference to health" in the future.
People interested in participating can contact researchers through: remote.study@otago.ac.nz via email.
The project is funded by the university Division of Health Sciences, the school, and Brain Research New Zealand.
