Technology to Automatically Detect Falls and Assess Fall Risk in Senior Housing

自动检测跌倒并评估老年住宅跌倒风险的技术

• 批准号: 7785679
• 负责人: MARILYN J RANTZ
• 金额: $ 49.5万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-09-30 至 2013-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7785679
• 关键词: Technology; Automatically; Detect; Falls; Assess

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): One in every three people age 65 or older falls each year, making falls the most common cause of injuries and hospitalizations for trauma in older adults and the leading cause of death due to injury (CDC, 2006). Researchers have studied falls, fall risk assessment, and interventions to prevent falls. However, to date, their methods require that research staff or clinicians complete multi-factorial assessments of fall risk and that research subjects maintain logs of falls, wear devices that measure changes in positions that could indicate a fall or activate an alarm that they need assistance. Building on our current work, we propose to validate and deploy an innovative technological approach that automatically detects when falls have occurred or when the risk of falls is increasing. Subjects will not have to press buttons, pull cords or wear any devices. This new "passive" approach using sensors in the home could revolutionize detecting and preventing falls as well as measuring fall risk. By detecting falls or increasing fall risk early, this new technology can act as a trigger for elders, family members, or health care providers to improve physical function or better manage illnesses that are precipitating falls. The products of this study can improve access to fall risk measures by deploying the new sensor system in any private house or apartment as well as senior centers, churches, or retail stores. In such settings, persons could go to an accessible area to perform the guided motions to be measured by the sensor network developed in this application. In just a few minutes, a person would have a reliable fall risk indicator to alert increasing fall risk. An automatic sensing system to detect falls has major potential in senior housing, long-term care settings, private community housing as well in acute care settings where falls are a major risk. After laboratory validation using 567 falls performed by trained theater stunt actors, we will deploy the prototype sensing system for two years of data collection in ten apartments of elders in an independent living setting to complete validation and field testing (again using 960 falls performed by stunt actors). This application integrates the specialized talents and perspectives of not only health care scientific disciplines (nursing, physical therapy, social work, medicine) but also electrical and computer engineering, computer science, and informatics. This application will be of interest to AHRQ and likely the Innovations and Emerging Areas Portfolio that "will foster and nurture ideas and projects that have potential to lead to highly innovative solutions that may lead to significant advances in healthcare practice..."

描述（由申请人提供）：每年每三个 65 岁或以上的人中就有一个跌倒，这使得跌倒成为老年人受伤和创伤住院的最常见原因，也是因受伤死亡的主要原因（CDC，2006）。研究人员研究了跌倒、跌倒风险评估和预防跌倒的干预措施。然而，迄今为止，他们的方法要求研究人员或临床医生完成跌倒风险的多因素评估，并且研究对象保留跌倒日志，佩戴测量可能表明跌倒的位置变化的设备或激活他们需要帮助的警报。在我们当前工作的基础上，我们建议验证和部署一种创新的技术方法，该方法可以自动检测何时发生跌倒或跌倒风险何时增加。受试者无需按下按钮、拉绳子或佩戴任何设备。这种使用家庭传感器的新“被动”方法可以彻底改变检测和预防跌倒以及测量跌倒风险的方法。通过及早检测跌倒或增加跌倒风险，这项新技术可以触发老年人、家庭成员或医疗保健提供者改善身体机能或更好地管理导致跌倒的疾病。这项研究的产品可以通过在任何私人住宅或公寓以及老年人中心、教堂或零售店部署新的传感器系统来改善跌倒风险措施的获取。在这种情况下，人们可以前往可访问的区域执行引导运动，并由本应用中开发的传感器网络进行测量。只需几分钟，一个人就会有一个可靠的跌倒风险指示器来提醒不断增加的跌倒风险。检测跌倒的自动传感系统在高级住房、长期护理机构、私人社区住房以及跌倒是主要风险的急症护理机构中具有巨大潜力。在使用训练有素的剧院特技演员表演的 567 次跌倒进行实验室验证后，我们将部署原型传感系统，在独立生活环境中的 10 套老年人公寓中进行两年的数据收集，以完成验证和现场测试（再次使用特技演员表演的 960 次跌倒）。该应用程序不仅集成了医疗保健科学学科（护理、物理治疗、社会工作、医学）而且还集成了电气和计算机工程、计算机科学和信息学的专业人才和观点。该应用程序将引起 AHRQ 的兴趣，并可能引起创新和新兴组织的兴趣。 领域组合“将培育和培育有潜力带来高度创新解决方案的想法和项目，这些解决方案可能会导致医疗保健实践取得重大进展......”