University of Strathclyde partnership project shows importance of data in preventing falls
A research project developed by the University of Strathclyde and Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) has identified how improved data analysis could help with the prediction and prevention of falls.
Working together with telecare provider Tunstall Healthcare and the Digital Health and Care Innovation Centre, its research found that injuries caused by falls are a leading cause of hospital admission and death for those aged over 75, with more than four thousand annual hospital admissions in Glasgow.
Fear of falling can result in inactivity, deconditioning, loss of confidence and increased risk of falls in older people as well as reduced social interactions leading to isolation or loneliness.
The research recommends how better data analytics within telecare equipment – alarm systems that are typically used by older and vulnerable people to help keep them safe at home – could help prevent and reduce the impact of falls.
The research also identifies that artificial intelligence (AI) can help to build more personalised, predictive and proactive models for allocating health resources more efficiently and effectively, at the right time and in the right place.
The key challenge was to investigate how to routinely use the vast amount of data collected across the health and social care system to identify or predict people who are at risk of falling, hospitalisation or needing other specific telecare or social care services.
Data from more than 28,000 Glasgow residents who use the telecare system was analysed to understand what is collected on whom, about what and what questions need to be answered about telecare users and their usage.
Other questions were what, if any, data is missing and how can it be better captured to be ‘analytics ready’ and how data access, management and sharing for future research and innovation projects can be facilitated.
Telecare devices gather and electronically communicate information to health and social care providers using both ‘passive’ technology such as sensors and wearable devices including pendants and wrist straps and ‘active’ technology where data is purposefully entered into the device by the user.
Marilyn Lennon, Professor of Digital Health and Care at the University of Strathclyde, said: “Telecare devices, systems and users produce vast amounts of data, and we needed to carry out detailed analysis to work out how it can be categorised and used in very pragmatic ways to predict people who are at risk of falling, so that ultimately, preventative steps can be put in place.”
The team recommended better data analysis could help predict service users’ needs and deliver a more proactive service. Integrating systems could also improve the reliability of data and make it easier to update and access, while standardising data organisation and automating tasks could reduce the manual workload. The researchers also recommended steps to improve how data could be used in a more preventative way.
The research findings also encouraged a less risk averse approach to data sharing across organisations, to identify and anticipate who is at risk of falling.
Professor Lennon added: “It is not straightforward to share data but when we do, we get great results. We have the opportunity to share innovative machine learning for the greater good.
“This work has the potential to really make a difference for the better, resulting in timely and early interventions that can ultimately prevent falls.”
Glenda Cook, Planning Manager for the HSCP added: “We knew this was a complex data picture with multiple forms of data, and this study highlights the need to address more efficient data entry, control and storage.”
Lucille Whitehead, Business Development Manager at Tunstall Healthcare, added: “These early insights on the data collected from Glasgow City HSCP, and the early analysis by the University of Strathclyde, may help to target care where and when it’s needed most.”
In July 2024, mobility and rehabilitation specialist Rebotics Technology announced that it had launched a new device to keep crutches and walking sticks stable and upright, preventing the risk of falls and injuries.