PD-WATCH
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Wearable for Assessing Tremor and Continuous Health in Parkinson’s and Essential tremor Diseases
IRAS ID
361292
Contact name
Anne Bernassau
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Heriot-Watt University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 8 months, 31 days
Research summary
PD-WATCH is a small skin-worn sensor patch that records arm and hand movement. In this study it is used only to collect research data; it does not give treatment, and its readings will not be used by clinicians to make decisions about care.
Parkinson’s disease and Essential Tremor can cause movement changes that vary during the day. Clinic assessments provide only a snapshot. By recording movement in clinic and at home, we hope to understand these changes better and improve how future monitoring tools are designed.
We plan to recruit up to 60 adults (40 with Parkinson’s disease, 20 with Essential Tremor). Participants with Parkinson’s disease or Essential Tremor will attend one study visit at the Clinical Research Facility, Western General Hospital (Edinburgh). The visit lasts about 5–6 hours, including breaks and waiting time so that assessments can be done before and after a dose of medication (medication will not be changed for the study). Participants will wear the PD-WATCH patch and may also wear other wearable sensors used in movement research while completing movement and walking tasks. With consent, parts of the session may be video recorded to help match the sensor data to the tasks.
After the visit, some participants will be asked to wear the sensors at home for up to 3, 7 or 21 days and to keep brief notes of medication times and key activities.
Risks are expected to be low and mainly include skin irritation or discomfort from adhesives and inconvenience from wearing/charging the device. All information will be handled securely and results will be reported in a way that does not identify individuals. The study is sponsored by Heriot-Watt University and funded by EPSRC and TayHealthTech.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1
REC reference
26/NS/0032
Date of REC Opinion
25 May 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion