Feasibility and validity of computerized ambulatory monitoring in stroke patients

Background: Computerized ambulatory monitoring provides real-time assessments of clinical outcomes in natural contexts, and it has been increasingly applied in recent years to investigate symptom expression in a wide range of disorders. The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility and validity of this data collection strategy with adult stroke patients. Methods: Forty-eight individuals (75% of the contacted sample) agreed to participate in the current study and were instructed to complete electronic interviews using a personal digital assistant 5 times per day over a 1-week period. Results: More than 80% of programmed assessments were completed by the sample, and no evidence was found for fatigue effects. Expected patterns of associations were observed among daily life variables, and data collected through ambulatory monitoring were significantly correlated with standard clinic-based measures of similar constructs. Conclusion: Support was found for the feasibility and validity of computerized ambulatory monitoring with stroke patients. The application of these novel methods with stroke patients should provide complementary information that is inaccessible to standard hospital-based assessments and permit increased understanding of the significance of clinical results and test scores for daily life experience. Neurology (R) 2009; 73: 1579-1583