Effects of Telemedicine for Postural Instability in Independent Patients With Parkinson's Disease

Background: The purpose of this study is to examine the evidence of the effectiveness of telemedicine in postural stability treatment in independent patients affected by Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods: This is a literature review of studies investigating the effect of telemedicine in postural stability treatment in independent patients affected by PD. PRISMA guidelines were followed during the design, search, and reporting stages of this review. The search was carried out in the MEDLINE databases. Results: A total of 1854 studies were detected and analyzed by performing the proposed searches in the detailed databases. After removing duplicates and analyzing the titles and abstracts of the remaining articles, 6 studies were ultimately selected for this review. At least 50% of the studies included in this review showed positive results in improving postural stability in patients with PD after a home-based intervention. Conclusions: The home-based intervention based upon technologically assisted telerehabilitation may support the aspects of an effective and efficient physical therapy allowing the physiotherapists to deliver functional rehabilitation in the home setting outside the hospital and supervise more than one patient simultaneously during rehabilitation sessions.