Electronic Cognitive Aid Use in Parkinson Disease: Usability, Feasibility, and Metacognitive Influences

Abstract

Parkinson disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. People with PD are prone to a range of cognitive difficulties, and most will eventually progress to dementia. At present, there is emerging evidence for the use of electronic aids in people with PD and mild cognitive impairment, but the benefit of such aids in people with PD and dementia is unknown. The proposed study addressed this gap in two phases by examining the usability and feasibility of an electronic aid, titled IndiAide©, as well as the influence of metacognition on aid use, in persons with PD and a range of cognitive decline. Phase I used a mixed-methods approach to examine ease-of-use and user sentiment and found that people with PD and cognitive decline were able to successfully use the aid when given support and reported generally positive feedback about the app. Phase II assessed global awareness and task-specific awareness. Participants with PD showed patterns consistent with heightened awareness of metacognitive challenges relative to care partners, and they overestimated how much time it would take to complete tasks in IndiAide©. Outcomes include recommendations to ensure IndiAide© is tailored to the needs and preferences of users with PD, as well as clinical recommendations for candidacy for aid use.