STTR Phase I: Remote patient monitoring of medication fall risk in the elderly

该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/潜在医学价值将是与药物相关的福尔斯、伤害和死亡的潜在显著减少，以及与跌倒相关的医疗费用的减少。 2000年至2016年间，死于福尔斯的老年人数量增加了三倍，药物使用的增加可能导致了这一令人震惊的趋势。 复方制剂（即，服用4种或4种以上药物）的人数从1992年到2002年增加了3倍。 由于药物是一个可改变的风险因素，建议定期进行药物检查以预防跌倒。 该项目将探索一种新的平衡测试，包括目标跟踪，以远程监测药物跌倒风险，并允许更及时，个性化的受伤风险评估。小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将推进一种新的平衡测试，使用目标跟踪。技术工作包括：1）确认新的测试对药物效果敏感，并且可以安全地进行; 2）区分跌倒者和非跌倒者，从而证明测试的有效性; 3）将测试结果与其他工具的测试结果进行比较。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commerical potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will be a potentially significant reduction in medication-related falls, injuries, and deaths, as well as a reduction in fall-related medical costs. The number of older adults dying from falls increased by a factor of three between 2000 and 2016, with increased medication use possibly contributing to this alarming trend. Polypharmacy (i.e., taking 4 or more drugs) is growing with a 3-fold increase from 1992 to 2002. Since drugs are a modifiable risk factor, periodic medication reviews are recommended for fall prevention. This project will explore a new balance test involving target tracking to remotely monitor medication fall risk and allowing for timelier, personalized assessment of the risk of getting hurt.The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will advance a new balance test using target tracking. Technical work includes: 1) Confirm that the new test is sensitive to medication effects and is safe to perform; 2) Discriminate between fallers and non-fallers, thus demonstrating test validity; and 3) Compare test results with those of other tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.