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Fall detection with body-worn sensors

A systematic review

Sturzerkennung mit am Körper getragenen Sensoren

Ein systematischer Review

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Zeitschrift für Gerontologie und Geriatrie Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background and aims

Falls among older people remain a major public health challenge. Body-worn sensors are needed to improve the understanding of the underlying mechanisms and kinematics of falls. The aim of this systematic review is to assemble, extract and critically discuss the information available in published studies, as well as the characteristics of these investigations (fall documentation and technical characteristics).

Methods

The searching of publically accessible electronic literature databases for articles on fall detection with body-worn sensors identified a collection of 96 records (33 journal articles, 60 conference proceedings and 3 project reports) published between 1998 and 2012. These publications were analysed by two independent expert reviewers. Information was extracted into a custom-built data form and processed using SPSS (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).

Results

The main findings were the lack of agreement between the methodology and documentation protocols (study, fall reporting and technical characteristics) used in the studies, as well as a substantial lack of real-world fall recordings. A methodological pitfall identified in most articles was the lack of an established fall definition. The types of sensors and their technical specifications varied considerably between studies.

Conclusion

Limited methodological agreement between sensor-based fall detection studies using body-worn sensors was identified. Published evidence-based support for commercially available fall detection devices is still lacking. A worldwide research group consensus is needed to address fundamental issues such as incident verification, the establishment of guidelines for fall reporting and the development of a common fall definition.

Zusammenfassung

Einleitung

Stürze älterer Menschen stellen eine große Aufgabe für das Gesundheitswesen dar. Am Körper getragene Sensoren helfen, die Kinematik und Mechanismen von Stürzen besser zu verstehen. Ziel dieses Reviews ist es, Informationen aus publizierten Studien und deren Charakteristika (Sturzdokumentation und technische Spezifikationen) zu sammeln, zu extrahieren und kritisch zu diskutieren.

Methoden

Die systematische Suche innerhalb der öffentlich zugänglichen, elektronischen Literaturdatenbanken nach Artikeln zur Sturzerkennung mit am Körper getragenen Sensoren ergab 96 Publikationen (33 Fachzeitschriftenartikel, 60 Konferenzbeiträge und 3 Projektberichte), die von 1998 bis 2012 veröffentlicht wurden. Diese Publikationen wurden von jeweils zwei unabhängigen Gutachtern analysiert. Dabei wurden die relevanten Daten elektronisch erfasst und mit SPSS ausgewertet.

Ergebnisse

Die wichtigsten Erkenntnisse sind eine mangelnde Übereinstimmung in Methodik und Dokumentation (Studien- und technische Charakteristika sowie Sturzdokumentation) und ein substanzieller Mangel an Aufzeichnungen von realen Stürzen. In den meisten Publikationen fehlte eine etablierte Sturzdefinition. Die verwendeten Sensortypen sowie deren technische Spezifikationen variierten erheblich innerhalb der untersuchten Studien.

Schlussfolgerungen

Es wurde eine begrenzte methodische Übereinstimmung bei der sensorbasierten Sturzerkennung festgestellt. Es ist keine publizierte Evidenzbasis für kommerziell erhältliche Sturzerkennungsgeräte vorhanden. Ein Konsens von Forschergruppen weltweit wird notwendig sein, um fundamentale Fragen, z. B. zur Sturzverifikation, zu erörtern, Leitlinien für eine Sturzdokumentation zu erarbeiten und eine gemeinsame Sturzdefinition zu entwickeln.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Stefanie Schneider, librarian of the Robert-Bosch-Hospital medical library, for contributing to the systematic literature search.

The following experts are part of the FARSEEING consensus group and contributed to the discussion: Christophe Büla, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois Lausanne, Switzerland; Michele Carenini, NoemaLife spa, Italy; Kim Delbaere, Neuroscience Research Australia, Australia; Matthias Gietzelt, University of Braunschweig and Hannover Medical School, Germany; Klaus Hauer, Agaplesion Bethanien Hospital Heidelberg, Germany; Jeffrey M. Hausdorff, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, USA and Israel; Helen Hawley, University of Manchester, United Kingdom; Anisoara Ionescu, EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland; Maarit Kangas, University of Oulu, Finland; Fabio La Porta, Azienda USL di Modena, Italy; Stephen Lord, Neuroscience Research Australia, Australia; Walter Mätzler, University of Tübingen, Germany; Michael Marschollek, University of Braunschweig and Hannover Medical School, Germany; Sabato Mellone, University of Bologna, Italy; Fabio Bagalà, University of Bologna, Italy; Norbert Noury, University of Lyon, France; Rachel Potter, University of Warwick, United Kingdom; Kilian Rapp, Robert-Bosch Hospital Stuttgart and University of Ulm, Germany; Stephen Redmond, University of New South Wales, Australia; Stephen Robinovitch, Simon Fraser University, Canada; Stephane Rochat, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois Lausanne, Switzerland; Johannes Salb, University of Erlangen, Germany; Michael Schwenk, Agaplesion Bethanien Hospital Heidelberg, Germany; Olav Sletvold, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway; Stuart Smith, Neuroscience Research Australia, Australia; Matthis Synofzik, University of Tübingen, Germany; Enrico Valtolina, Bticino spa, Italy; Aleksandra Zecevic, Western University London Ontario, Canada; Tania Zieschang, Agaplesion Bethanien Hospital Heidelberg, Germany.

Compliance with ethical guidelines

Conflict of interest. L. Schwickert, C. Becker, U. Lindemann, C. Maréchal, A. Bourke, L. Chiari, JL. Helbostad, W. Zijlstra, K. Aminian, C. Todd, S. Bandinelli and J. Klenk state that there are no conflicts of interest.

The accompanying manuscript does not include studies on humans or animals.

The companies participating in the FARSEEING project had no influence on the writing of this manuscript and the presented results.

Funding

The FARSEEING project is being funded by the European Commission (Grant agreement no.: 288940).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Gerontology, Robert-Bosch Hospital, Stuttgart, Germany

    L. Schwickert, C. Becker, U. Lindemann, C. Maréchal & J. Klenk

  2. Laboratory of Movement Analysis and Measurement, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland

    A. Bourke & K. Aminian

  3. Department of Electrical, Electronic, and Information Engineering, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    L. Chiari

  4. Department of Neuroscience, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway

    J.L. Helbostad

  5. Department of Geriatrics, St. Olav University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway

    J.L. Helbostad

  6. Institute of Movement and Sport Gerontology, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany

    W. Zijlstra

  7. School of Nursing, Midwifery & Social Work, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

    C. Todd

  8. ASF - Azienda Sanitaria di Firenze, Florence, Italy

    S. Bandinelli

  9. Institute of Epidemiology and Medical Biometry, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany

    J. Klenk

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for the FARSEEING Consortium and the FARSEEING Meta Database Consensus Group

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Correspondence to C. Becker or J. Klenk.

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Schwickert, L., Becker, C., Lindemann, U. et al. Fall detection with body-worn sensors. Z Gerontol Geriat 46, 706–719 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00391-013-0559-8

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