The Benefits of a Digit Span Test for Telemedicine and Neurological Examinations

In recent years, there has been an increasing need to recreate the essential domains of neurological examinations in order to facilitate patient testing from home and forward results to clinicians, particularly in times of global pandemics. To address this requirement, we have developed the Neurological Functional Test Suite (NeuFun), a collection of smartphone tests that can be administered autonomously by patients. One such test is the digit span test, which has been shown to be a reliable and sensitive measure of disease progression.

Traditionally, comprehensive neurological examinations take 40-60 minutes to perform and require years of training to master. However, with an aging population and increasing prevalence of chronic neurological diseases, there is a growing shortage of neurologists. Shifting care to primary care providers while decreasing individual patient-encounters for neurologists can lead to delays or mistakes in diagnoses and suboptimal outcomes.

The digit span test is particularly useful in this context as it can be administered remotely and provides a reliable measure of cognitive function. In a study, the smartphone adaptation of the Symbol-Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) showed comparable psychometric properties to traditional methods, with correlations with cognitive subscores of neurological examinations and brain injury measured by MRI.

Moreover, patient-collected digital biomarkers can provide reliable information about disease progression, which is essential for optimal therapeutic decisions. The digit span test has been shown to be sensitive to changes in disease course and can be used as a surrogate for neurological examination. In addition, mathematical adjustment for motoric disability of the dominant hand, measured by another smartphone test, compensates for any disadvantage of touch-based tests.

In conclusion, the digit span test is an essential tool for telemedicine and neurological examinations, providing a reliable and sensitive measure of disease progression. As the burden of neurodegenerative diseases increases, it is essential to develop digital tools that can provide accurate information about patient health, allowing clinicians to make informed decisions.

Digit span test 1.5 sec