MDS UPDRS app for iPhone and iPad

The International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (MDS) offers the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) in a mobile app format to clinicians, scientists and other healthcare professionals who are interested in Parkinsons disease, related neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders, hyperkinetic Movement Disorders and abnormalities in muscle tone and motor control.

This simple and secure interface puts the MDS-UPDRS at the user’s fingertips on an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Scores are automatically calculated and populated to a score sheet ready to be e-mailed to the user’s office for use in a study or patient care.

The MDS-UPDRS has four parts:
Part I (non-motor experiences of daily living) has two components:
IA: concerns a number of behaviors that are assessed by the investigator with all pertinent information from patients and caregivers
IB: is completed by the patient with or without the aid of the caregiver, but independently of the investigator
These sections can, however, be reviewed by the rater to ensure that all questions are answered clearly and the rater can help explain any perceived ambiguities.

Part II (motor experiences of daily living) is designed to be a self-administered questionnaire like Part IB, but can be reviewed by the investigator to ensure completeness and clarity. Of note, the official versions of Part IA, Part IB and Part II of the MDS-UPDRS do not have separate on or off ratings. However, for individual programs or protocols the same questions can be used separately for on and off.

Part III (motor examination) has instructions for the rater to give or demonstrate to the patient; it is completed by the rater.

Part IV (motor complications) has instructions for the rater and also instructions to be read to the patient. This part integrates patient-derived information with the rater’s clinical observations and judgments and is completed by the rater.

History of the Scale:
The International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (MDS)-sponsored new version of the UPDRS is founded on the critique that was formulated by the Task Force for Rating Scales in Parkinson’s disease (Mov Disord 2003;18:738-750). Thereafter, the MDS recruited a Chairperson to organize a program to provide the Movement Disorder community with a new version of the UPDRS that would maintain the overall format of the original UPDRS, but address issues identified in the critique as weaknesses and ambiguities. The Chairperson identified subcommittees with chairs and members. Each part was written by the appropriate subcommittee members and then reviewed and ratified by the entire group.