Technology Utilization in Fall Prevention

Technology Utilization in Fall Prevention
Oh-Park M, Doan T, Dohle C, Vermiglio-Kohn V, Abdou A. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2021;100(1):92-99.

Challenge

There is a need for cost-effective fall prediction and prevention systems. Recently, technology-based applications have been introduced in healthcare in order to achieve superior patient care outcomes and experience via efficiency, access, and reliability.

Solution

Video monitoring using virtual sitters is a novel, cost-effective approach to reduce the risk of falls and maintain safety for hospitalized patients. The common applications of technology are to:

• Assess the risk of falls
• Detect falls
• Prevent falls
• Intervene

Solutions include a range of approaches—from instrumented gait mats and wearable sensors to robotic systems, wearable airbags to prevent hip injury, and even virtual reality systems—that may be used in patients’ homes or in the hospital.

In the hospital setting, virtual sitter technology that enables 1 sitter to monitor multiple patients has been shown to reduce falls and the cost of care.

Although each of these technology-based applications are associated with both advantages and limitations, combining them with more traditional fall prevention interventions offers promising results in the prevention of falls among patient populations.