Trial results for a telemedicine intervention for hypokinetic dysarthria in Parkinson's Disease were posted on ClinicalTrials.gov on 2026-01-07, involving 104 participants.
Background
Nearly 90% of people with Parkinson's disease experience speech and voice disorders, known as hypokinetic dysarthria, which significantly hinder their ability to communicate effectively in daily life. Addressing these communication challenges is crucial for improving patient quality of life. This study aimed to investigate an affordable, virtual approach to deliver speech and exercise training, potentially offering ongoing support to Veterans with Parkinson's disease through remote access technology.
Trial design
This completed study, designated as Phase NA, enrolled 104 participants with Parkinson's Disease. The trial compared a combined speech and exercise telemedicine intervention against a control group. The intervention aimed to improve speech intelligibility and self-perceived communication ability in individuals with speech impairment due to Parkinson's disease.
Key results
The trial reported changes in speech intelligibility and self-perceived communication ability at 6 months:
- For Change in Speech Intelligibility at 6 Months (score on a scale):
- The Combined Speech and Exercise Intervention group showed a mean change of 0.25.
- The Control Group showed a mean change of -4.78.
- For Change in Self-perceived Communication Ability Measured Via the Communication Effectiveness Index (CETI-M) at 6 Months (score on a scale):
- The Combined Speech and Exercise Intervention group showed a mean change of 6.8.
- The Control Group showed a mean change of -6.4.
Key analyses included:
- A Mixed Models Analysis for speech intelligibility reported a Mean Difference (Net) of 5.0, with a p-value of 0.13.
- A Wilcoxon (Mann-Whitney) analysis, likely for self-perceived communication ability, yielded a p-value of 0.01.
What this means
The results indicate that the combined speech and exercise telemedicine intervention had a positive impact on communication in individuals with Parkinson's disease. While the net improvement in speech intelligibility showed a mean difference of 5.0, its p-value of 0.13 suggests it did not reach conventional statistical significance. However, the statistically significant p-value of 0.01 from the Wilcoxon (Mann-Whitney) analysis, likely pertaining to self-perceived communication ability, suggests a meaningful improvement in how patients perceive their own communication effectiveness. The control group, in contrast, experienced a decline in both measures, highlighting the potential benefit of the intervention for managing communication challenges in Parkinson's disease.
Source
The information regarding these trial results was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a public database of clinical studies. The results for the study NCT04617496, titled "An RCT of a Telemedicine Intervention for Hypokinetic Dysarthria in PD", were posted on 2026-01-07 on clinicaltrials.gov.