Assessing and addressing footwear needs in Parkinson's disease-design thinking in neurology.
Jamasb Sayadi, Lohrasb Ross Sayadi, Arman Fijany and 2 others
PMID 31884494WHAT IT FOUND
Most Parkinson's patients in this survey struggled to put on shoes.
Longer disease duration, not age, predicted these difficulties. Patients prioritized comfort and ease of use but abandoned dress shoes if they were uncomfortable, highlighting a gap between functional needs and aesthetic preferences.
Key findings
01Sixty-four percent of surveyed Parkinson's patients reported daily difficulties putting on footwear.
02Patients experiencing shoe-wearing difficulties had significantly longer disease duration than those without difficulties, while age and gender did not differ between groups.
03Sixty-five percent of patients abandoned dress shoes due to discomfort, and thirty-eight percent changed their desired outfits to avoid wearing them.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional and self-reported, with no objective physical assessments of shoe-wearing difficulties. The sample was relatively small (89 patients) and drawn from a single academic center in a higher-than-average socioeconomic area, limiting generalizability. The survey was non-exhaustive and may have missed relevant factors. The prototype shoe described was designed but not tested for efficacy or usability in this study.
Declared interests
The authors declared no financial or non-financial conflicts of interest. The research received no specific funding from public, commercial, or not-for-profit agencies.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the magnetic dress shoe prototype as a validated intervention. The study surveyed patient preferences and designed the shoe based on those responses, but it did not test whether the prototype actually improved footwear independence or patient satisfaction.