Perceived Self-efficacy in Parkinson’s Disease Through Mobile Health Monitoring

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases. The non-specific symptoms lead to a diagnosis years after the actual onset of the disease. However, the earlier a diagnosis can be made, the more effective therapies are. Here we present and evaluate a smartphone app prototype supporting an early diagnosis with patients (N = 20). Since self-efficacy is decisive for the patient’s handling of the disease, the mobile diagnostic app should optimally support a patients’ self-efficacy. In this regard, a mixed-methods study revealed significant negative relationships of depression (BDI-FS) and technical competence belief (ρ = 0.46, p < 0.05) and technical commitment (ρ = 0.48, p < 0.05). Qualitative results revealed that PD patients confirm a PD diagnosis app as enriching their daily lives and imagined that the app could have an impact on their self-efficacy. Patients believed that the awareness and knowledge about the disease enhances their self-efficacy and reduce emotionally charged uncertainty as well as to let them regain a sense of control through active self-management