A system to detect fall occurrence and location in hospital settings

跌倒检测、评估和预防是整个护理过程中的一个具有挑战性的问题。尽管宽 虽然跌倒被认为是一个相当大的问题，但跌倒相关的伤害仍然是最常见的不良事件 在医院住院环境中，3-20%的患者在住院期间至少跌倒一次。根据 医疗保健研究和质量机构报告说，30%至51%的福尔斯跌倒导致受伤。在美国 仅住院病人福尔斯人数每年就下降100多万人，老年人是最脆弱的群体。 作为其重要性的证明，秋季研究在医学研究所的报告中被列为首要任务 向国会提出国家优先事项 多种因素导致福尔斯，包括患者因素（例如，认知状态，肌肉无力， 阳离子），环境因素（例如，床/厕所定位，绊倒危险），和制度因素（例如，贫困 对呼叫铃或床/椅警报器的响应，防跌倒措施不足）。尽管医院- 采用多种方案来预防福尔斯和跌伤，预防跌伤方案的一个重要组成部分是 准确确定跌倒事件，因为许多福尔斯是“看不见的”和未报告的。 本文提出的身体穿戴的FallCall系统将利用强大的感测能力来提供鲁棒的功能。 跌倒检测和报告跌倒位置，而不会出现令人烦恼的错误警报。FallCall身体佩戴式仪器 将包含一个可重复使用的微型电子封装，封装在一次性低过敏性粘合剂中 补丁.贴片可以放置在躯干上的任何地方，以最大限度地减少与其他医疗设备的相互作用， 受伤部位。该系统将持续监测患者，并在检测到跌倒时及时发出警报， 病人在地面上的时间，以及受伤评估和治疗时间。FallCall系统还将 允许使用冗余无线网络确定患者位置（包括医院的房间和室外） 网状网络该仪器将由一个微型可充电电池供电， 一周 FallCall系统还将能够发出徘徊和不活动警报。另夕h 系统可以使用其内部传感器来跟踪稳定性的测量，提供客观的数据， 在识别有跌倒风险的个体和纵向跟踪跌倒风险方面提高了预测价值。的 所提出的系统将代表客观地测量临床阶段的响应时间的第一种方法之一。 当跌倒发生时，将是评估和改善跌倒预防计划的关键组成部分。

Fall detection, assessment, and prevention is a challenging issue across the care continuum. Despite wide recognition as a considerable problem, fall-related injuries are still the most frequently reported adverse events in hospital inpatient settings, with 3-20% of patients falling at least once during their stay. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reports, 30% to 51% of falls result in injury. In the United States alone, the number of inpatient falls exceeds 1 million per year, with elderly individuals being the most vulnerable. As a testament to its importance, fall research was listed as a top priority in the Institute of Medicine's report to Congress on national priorities. Diverse factors contribute to falls, including patient factors (e.g., cognitive state, muscle weakness, medi- cations), environmental factors (e.g., bed/toilet positioning, trip hazards), and institutional factors (e.g., poor responsiveness to call bells or bed/chair alarms, inadequate fall prevention measures). Although hospitals em- ploy diverse programs to prevent falls and fall injuries, an essential component to a fall prevention program is accurate determination of fall events, as many falls are \unseen" and unreported. The body-worn FallCall system, proposed herein, will leverage powerful sensing capabilities to provide robust fall detection and to report fall locations without bothersome false alarms. The FallCall body-worn instrument will embody a reusable miniature electronics package that is encapsulated in a disposable, hypoallergenic adhesive patch. The patch can be placed anywhere on the torso to minimize interaction with other medical equipment or injury sites. The system will continuously monitor patients and issue a timely alert if a fall is detected, minimizing patient time on the ground, as well as injury assessment and treatment latencies. The FallCall system will also allow patient location to be determined (including the room and oor of the hospital) using a redundant wireless mesh network. The instrument will be powered by a miniature rechargeable battery that will last for at least one week. The FallCall system will also have the capability to issue wander and inactivity alerts. Additionally, the system can use its internal sensors to track measures of stability, providing objective data that may o er improved predictive value in identifying individuals at risk for falling and tracking fall risk longitudinally. The proposed system will represent one of the rst ways to objectively measure the response time of clinical sta when a fall occurs, and will be a key component in evaluating and improving fall prevention programs.