Background: Parkinson’s disease is the second most common long-term chronic, progressive, neurodegenerative disease, affecting more than 10 million people worldwide. There has been a rising interest in wearable devices for evaluation of movement disorder diseases such as Parkinson’s disease due to the limitations in current clinic assessment methods such as Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and the Hoehn and Yahr (HY) scale. However, there are only a few commercial wearable devices available, which, in addition, have had very limited adoption and implementation. This inconsistency may be due to a lack of users’ perspectives in terms of device design and implementation. This study aims to identify the perspectives of healthcare professionals and patients linked to current assessment methods and to identify preferences, and requirements of wearable devices. Methods: This was a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews followed by focus groups. Transcripts from sessions were analysed using an inductive thematic approach. Results: It was noted that the well-known assessment process such as Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) was not used routinely in clinics since it is time consuming, subjective, inaccurate, infrequent and dependent on patients’ memories. Participants suggested that objective assessment methods are needed to increase the chance of effective treatment. The participants’ perspectives were positive toward using wearable devices, particularly if they were involved in early design stages. Patients emphasized that the devices should be comfortable, but they did not have any concerns regarding device visibility or data privacy transmitted over the internet when it comes to their health. In terms of wearing a monitor, the preferable part of the body for all participants was the wrist. Healthcare professionals stated a need for an economical solution that is easy to interpret. Some design aspects identified by patients included clasps, material choice, and form factor. Conclusion: The study concluded that current assessment methods are limited. Patients’ and healthcare professionals’ involvement in wearable devices design process has a pivotal role in terms of ultimate user acceptance. This includes the provision of additional functions to the wearable device, such as fall detection and medication reminders, which could be attractive features for patients.

Applications utilising 3D Camera technologies for the measurement of health outcomes in the health and wellness sector continues to expand. The Intel® RealSense™ is one of the leading 3D depth sensing cameras currently available on the market and aligns itself for use in many applications, including robotics, automation, and medical systems. One of the most prominent areas is the production of interactive solutions for rehabilitation which includes gait analysis and facial tracking. Advancements in depth camera technology has resulted in a noticeable increase in the integration of these technologies into portable platforms, suggesting significant future potential for pervasive in-clinic and field based health assessment solutions. This paper reviews the Intel RealSense technology’s technical capabilities and discusses its application to clinical research and includes examples where the Intel RealSense camera range has been used for the measurement of health outcomes. This review supports the use of the technology to develop robust, objective movement and mobility-based endpoints to enable accurate tracking of the effects of treatment interventions in clinical trials.

This proof-of-concept study aimed to assess the ability of a mobile application and cloud analytics software solution to extract facial expression information from participant selfie videos. This is one component of a solution aimed at extracting possible health outcome measures based on expression, voice acoustics and speech sentiment from video diary data provided by patients. Forty healthy volunteers viewed 21 validated images from the International Affective Picture System database through a mobile app which simultaneously captured video footage of their face using the selfie camera. Images were intended to be associated with the following emotional responses: anger, disgust, sadness, contempt, fear, surprise and happiness. Both valence and arousal scores estimated from the video footage associated with each image were adequate predictors of the IAPS image scores (p < 0.001 and p = 0.04 respectively). 12.2% of images were categorised as containing a positive expression response in line with the target expression; with happiness and sadness responses providing the greatest frequency of responders: 41.0% and 21.4% respectively. 71.2% of images were associated with no change in expression. This proof-of-concept study provides early encouraging findings that changes in facial expression can be detected when they exist. Combined with voice acoustical measures and speech sentiment analysis, this may lead to novel measures of health status in patients using a video diary in indications including depression, schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder and PTSD amongst other conditions.

Transitioning from secondary education (SE) to higher education (HE) for students pursuing a creative subject such as Product Design (PD), is fraught with challenges. It is commonplace for first year students studying a creative subject to face various difficulties and this is exacerbated further when considering diverse educational, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds. Students arrive in HE with varying levels of confidence, communication skills, and in some cases with no prior subject experience resulting in many challenges for academics to mitigate. Furthermore, some students find the transition challenging due to having to unlearn bad habits or overcome limited tuition/guidance due to declining specialist subject knowledge. This paper presents a case study from Nottingham Trent University, exploring how a PD course team intentionally designed induction activities to support students’ transitioning into HE. Drawing on academic insights and student experiences, this article explores how open-ended, iterative, and critique-based learning environments can be unfamiliar/intimidating to new learners. Fear of judgment, social anxiety, and introversion may limit participation, while random groupings can lead to imbalanced teams and limit opportunities for inclusive collaboration. Additionally, students may be reluctant to disclose learning difficulties or mental health concerns, and tutors may not immediately recognize the subtle signs displayed by students if they are struggling. Through a range of learner-centred strategies including, strategic group formation through friendship clusters, scaffolded critique practices, and early relationship-building activities/approaches, many of the aforementioned issues can be mitigated/overcome. Importantly we will highlight the significance of tutor awareness in identifying hidden barriers to engagement. By “knowing your learners,” educators can foster inclusive, supportive environments that enhance student confidence, collaboration, and development. This contribution adds to the growing literature on inclusive pedagogies, whilst offering practical approaches and advice for educators, academics, early transition specialists, student support practitioners, professional services, educational developers, amongst others. This case study offers transferable, practical strategies that educators/institutions can apply to the design of more inclusive inductions and first-year learning environments, thus helping improve student confidence, engagement, and retention.