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Background: The Timed Up and Go (TUG) test is a simple and commonly used test for evaluating balance function and walking ability in the elderly and in patients with gait disorders due to neurological or non-neurological diseases. The only outcome measure of the TUG test is the completion time, which is taken manually by the clinician using a stopwatch. The start time and end time are subject to observer bias and error. Recent studies show that smartphones’ integral sensors have sufficient reliability and validity for evaluation of kinematic tests. By using a smartphone, we can conduct the TUG test more accurately, providing more information and potentially discriminating among different clinical conditions.

Objectives: To provide a preliminary validation for a smartphone-based instrumental TUG, by comparing its measurements to the stopwatch-measured TUG completion time, and to explore its potential and usability for a more detailed analysis of TUG tests. Methods: 25 healthy elderly subjects (HC, age: 69.3±4.6 years), 25 patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH, age: 72.8±4.7 years) and 15 patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD, age: 69.3±4.4 years) were enrolled in the study and performed both the 3-meter and the 10-meter TUG. Subjects were monitored by an iPhone attached to their sternum by means of a strap, while running “AppTUG”-a specially designed application for TUG recording. In parallel, subjects were timed by using a stopwatch.

Results: A high correlation was found between the TUG completion time recorded by the stopwatch and AppTUG (r= 0.98) from the NPH patients. PD and NPH patients showed a similarly …