The use of self-tracking of bio-behavioral states along with prescription dosing information is increasingly popular in the care and study of many human diseases. Parkinson’s Disease is particularly amenable to such tracking, as patients live with the progressive disease for many years, increasing motivation to pursue quality of life changes through careful monitoring of symptoms and self-guided management of their medications and lifestyle choices.

Students in URI Psychology Professor Theodore Walls’ lab, the Center for Health Monitoring and Intervention, collaborated on a qualitative exploration of how Parkinson’s patients and their families have engaged in self-tracking of their symptoms and medications. Walls is an internationally known expert on intensive longitudinal data, the kind of data considered in this study. 

Graduate student Coral Shuster (Psychology) and undergraduate Aidan Boving (Cell and Molecular Biology and Health Studies double major) worked with Walls and Phamacy Professor Todd Brothers to synthesize themes of the patients’ self-tracking research in relation to typical Parkinson’s medication dosage and symptom patterns. The article chronicles and provides commentary on the work of three Parkinson’s patients engaging in scientific self-study of their conditions, part of a new scientific trend of citizens studying themselves. 

As an open access publication in the journal Digital Health, the article is available to download free-of-charge here.