Maintain pressure on reforms to protect NHSLondon trust trials pioneering falls prevention tool
A pioneering tool to help prevent falls in older patients is being piloted at London’s Imperial College Healthcare Trust.
The Ear Worn Activity Recognition Sensor, or e-AR, is fitted to a patient’s ear like a hearing aid to assess how stable they are on their feet. The device then measures the amount the patient sways and the results are transmitted wirelessly to a computer for assessment.
Around 30 patients attending a special falls clinic at Charing Cross Hospital have been trialling the technology – developed by Imperial College London researchers – since last September.
Patients complete a set of simple tasks, such as walking, sitting and standing, to help clinicians work out how much the patient is at risk from falling.
Consultant in elderly medicine at the trust Dr Frank Miskelly said the technology could be used in patient’s homes in the future to detect if the wearer has fallen. “It would set off a remote alarm which would mean help can be sent quickly,” he said.
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