After describing this concept some years ago, we’re so happy to see this kind of idea finally be validated!
Congratulations to Jasmin and coworkers for this effort that might help bring semi-quantitative nerve testing out into the community.
The aim of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of a vibration-based cell phone in detecting peripheral neuropathy among individuals with a risk of diabetic foot ulcer (DFU). The current study consisted of 3 phases: a pilot study, concurrent validity study, and interreliability study. A 128 Hz tuning fork and vibration-based cell phone using the Vibrations-Test app was compared in the primary care setting. The pilot study confirmed that the vibration-based cell phone has an adequate reliability (r > 0.70, P < .001). The concurrent validity test involved 96 participants (aged 55.78 ± 8.32 years). The Pearson correlation test found the highest correlation in the fifth metatarsal heads (r = 0.741, right feet; 0.772, left feet; P < .001). In the 4 primary care settings, the interrater reliability between nurses of the vibration-based cell phone were k = 1.000, 1.000, 1.000, and 0.720. The concurrent validity test found moderate to strong correlation results and that the interrater reliability had a strong agreement that was almost perfect. Thus, vibration-based cell phone applications can be used as screening tools for detecting neuropathy among individuals with a risk of DFU.
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