Wireless sensor network for fall prevention on geriatric wards: A report

First published in
Studies in health technology and informatics  
Number in series
264
Start Page
620
End Page
624
Citation
World Congress on Medical and Health Informatics (MEDINFO 2019)
Contribution to Conference
17th World Congress on Medical and Health Informatics, MEDINFO 2019  
Publisher DOI
10.3233/SHTI190297
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85071428246
PubMed ID
31437998
With regard to the growing number of older adults, it needs smart solutions for fall prevention. Especially at geriatric institutions, the risk of falling is very high and frequently leads to injuries, resulting in serious consequences. We present the Inexpensive Node for Bed Exit Detection (INBED), a comprehensive signaling system for fall prevention. The INBED system is based on a wireless sensor network infrastructure via IEEE802.15.4 and highly-specialized open hardware in-house developed wearable. The device, which will be attached to the patients, can detect several types of movement. Occurring events are forwarded to the nursing staff immediately by using the self-organizing and scalable network including wide area network integration. The system can help to relieve the staff while the personal freedom of movement and privacy of patients is increased. With this development, the energy-efficient, simple and intuitive mechanisms of proximity communication can be combined with broadband benefits.
Subjects
Accident prevention
Accidental falls
Geriatrics