Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2012 Jul;13(6):558-63. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2012.04.010.
To assess the effectiveness of a wireless network (WiFi-based) localization system (devices mounted on resident wheelchairs) in decreasing caretaker time spent searching for residents and providing alerts of residents going outdoors in a skilled nursing facility.
A controlled study over two 2-month periods approved by the institutional review board.
A long-term skilled nursing facility in Massachusetts specializing in multiple sclerosis previously instrumented with wireless network infrastructure.
Nineteen residents and 9 staff members at the facility for the first 2-month period; 9 residents and 3 staff members at the facility for the second 2-month period.
Software was installed on 4 staff computers to display the locations of residents enrolled in the study. This software was made available to enrolled staff for the second half of the first 2-month period and the entirety of the second 2-month study. In the second 2-month study, the software was modified to provide alerts if any 1 of 9 participating "high-risk"' residents went outdoors, and the accuracy of the alert system was evaluated.
In the first 2-month study, 9 staff members recorded the amount of time it took them to locate participating residents (as and when needed during the course of their daily activities). In the second 2-month study, 3 staff members recorded whether outdoor-alerts correctly identified a resident leaving the building or if it was a false alarm.
In both phases, participating staff members made frequent use of the system (44 searches and 215 outdoor alerts). Overall, the localization information decreased the average time needed to find residents by about two-thirds (from 311.1 seconds to 110.9 seconds). For outdoor alerts, the system had a false-alarm rate of 9.1% (under normal facility operations); systematic tests of the outdoor-alert system carried out by the authors had a false-negative, or missed-alarm, rate of 1.7%.
Using timely resident location information can provide significant gains for both operational efficiency (finding residents) and enhanced resident safety (outdoor alerts). This approach may provide an inexpensive alternative for facilities that have sufficient wireless infrastructure; future work should assess its effectiveness in additional settings.
评估基于无线网络（WiFi）的定位系统（安装在居民轮椅上的设备）在减少护理人员寻找居民的时间和提供居民外出警报方面的效果，该系统用于一家熟练护理机构。
机构审查委员会批准的为期 2 个月的对照研究。
马萨诸塞州的一家长期熟练护理机构，专门治疗多发性硬化症，之前已安装了无线网络基础设施。
在第一个 2 个月期间，该设施的 19 名居民和 9 名工作人员；在第二个 2 个月期间，该设施的 9 名居民和 3 名工作人员。
在 4 台工作人员计算机上安装软件以显示参加研究的居民的位置。该软件在第一个 2 个月的后半期和第二个 2 个月研究的整个期间提供给参加的工作人员。在第二个 2 个月的研究中，软件进行了修改，如果 9 名“高风险”居民中的任何 1 名外出，软件将提供警报，并且评估警报系统的准确性。
在第一个 2 个月的研究中，9 名工作人员记录了他们找到参与居民所需的时间（在他们日常活动的过程中，当需要时）。在第二个 2 个月的研究中，3 名工作人员记录了室外警报是否正确识别了离开建筑物的居民，或者这是否是误报。
在两个阶段，参与的工作人员都经常使用该系统（44 次搜索和 215 次室外警报）。总体而言，定位信息将找到居民所需的平均时间减少了大约三分之二（从 311.1 秒减少到 110.9 秒）。对于室外警报，系统的误报率为 9.1％（在正常设施操作下）；作者进行的室外警报系统的系统测试有 1.7％的漏报率，即漏报。
使用及时的居民位置信息可以大大提高运营效率（找到居民）和增强居民安全（室外警报）。对于具有足够无线基础设施的设施来说，这种方法可能是一种廉价的替代方法；未来的工作应评估其在其他环境中的效果。
