Intel-GE Care Innovations and UCD medical technology spin-out Kinesis Health Technologies have agreed a partnership to market and distribute QTUG, a mobility and falls risk assessment technology.
The partnership will focus on expanding falls screening programmes initially in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland.
Based on seven years of clinical data, QTUG (Quantitative Timed Up and Go) is intended for use by healthcare professionals to assess the risk of falls in older adults.
Unlike current falls assessment techniques, QTUG provides a quantitative evaluation of the dimensions that make up a person’s likelihood of tripping or falling, giving clinicians a detailed assessment of elements that need to be addressed through therapy.
The QTUG system uses body-worn tri-axial gyroscopes and accelerometers mounted on each leg combined with signal processing and machine learning methods to provide quantitative assessment of mobility and falls risk, as well as statistical comparisons against a large reference population relative to norms for age and gender. The data is streamed wirelessly via Bluetooth to a tablet that displays the results.
“The direct and indirect costs of falls to society are enormous. However, many falls are avoidable, so more effective preventive measures can have a big impact on improving quality of life and reducing financial costs associated with falls,” said Seamus Small, CEO of Kinesis Health Technologies.
In addition to identifying high-risk patients, QTUG can be used to assess a patient’s response to therapy on an ongoing basis.
Falls among older adults are a major problem worldwide, with an estimated 30% of adults over 65 falling each year. In long-term care settings, approximately 30-50% of people fall each year, with 40% of those experiencing repeated falls.
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