NetwellCASALA, Dundalk Institute of Technology. Co, Louth, A91 K584, Ireland.
Ulster University Faculty of Computing Engineering and The Built Environment, Derry(Londonderry), BT48 7JL, Northern Ireland.
J Neuroeng Rehabil. 2021 Jul 8;18(1):112. doi: 10.1186/s12984-021-00909-0.
Globally the population of older adults is increasing. It is estimated that by 2050 the number of adults over the age of 60 will represent over 21% of the world's population. Frailty is a clinical condition associated with ageing resulting in an increase in adverse outcomes. It is considered the greatest challenge facing an ageing population affecting an estimated 16% of community-dwelling populations worldwide.
The aim of this systematic review is to explore how wearable sensors have been used to assess frailty in older adults.
Electronic databases Medline, Science Direct, Scopus, and CINAHL were systematically searched March 2020 and November 2020. A search constraint of articles published in English, between January 2010 and November 2020 was applied. Papers included were primary observational studies involving; older adults aged > 60 years, used a wearable sensor to provide quantitative measurements of physical activity (PA) or mobility and a measure of frailty. Studies were excluded if they used non-wearable sensors for outcome measurement or outlined an algorithm or application development exclusively. The methodological quality of the selected studies was assessed using the Appraisal Tool for Cross-sectional Studies (AXIS).
Twenty-nine studies examining the use of wearable sensors to assess and discriminate between stages of frailty in older adults were included. Thirteen different body-worn sensors were used in eight different body-locations. Participants were community-dwelling older adults. Studies were performed in home, laboratory or hospital settings. Postural transitions, number of steps, percentage of time in PA and intensity of PA together were the most frequently measured parameters followed closely by gait speed. All but one study demonstrated an association between PA and level of frailty. All reports of gait speed indicate correlation with frailty.
Wearable sensors have been successfully used to evaluate frailty in older adults. Further research is needed to identify a feasible, user-friendly device and body-location that can be used to identify signs of pre-frailty in community-dwelling older adults. This would facilitate early identification and targeted intervention to reduce the burden of frailty in an ageing population.
全球老年人口数量正在增加。据估计，到 2050 年，60 岁以上的成年人将占世界人口的 21%以上。衰弱是一种与衰老相关的临床状况，会导致不良后果的增加。它被认为是老龄化人口面临的最大挑战，影响着全球约 16%的社区居住人口。
本系统评价旨在探讨可穿戴传感器在评估老年人衰弱中的应用。
系统检索了 Medline、Science Direct、Scopus 和 CINAHL 电子数据库，检索时间为 2020 年 3 月和 2020 年 11 月。应用了一项文献发表于 2010 年 1 月至 2020 年 11 月期间、使用可穿戴传感器提供身体活动（PA）或移动的定量测量值和衰弱测量值的观察性研究的文献检索限制。如果研究使用非可穿戴传感器进行结果测量或专门描述算法或应用程序开发，则将其排除在外。使用横断面研究评估工具（AXIS）评估所选研究的方法学质量。
共纳入 29 项研究，这些研究检查了使用可穿戴传感器评估和区分老年人衰弱阶段的情况。在 8 个不同的身体部位使用了 13 种不同的穿戴式传感器。参与者为社区居住的老年人。研究在家庭、实验室或医院环境中进行。姿势转换、步数、PA 时间百分比和 PA 强度是最常测量的参数，其次是步态速度。除一项研究外，所有研究均表明 PA 与衰弱程度之间存在关联。所有步态速度报告均表明与衰弱相关。
可穿戴传感器已成功用于评估老年人的衰弱情况。需要进一步研究以确定一种可行的、用户友好的设备和身体部位，以识别社区居住的老年人的衰弱前期迹象。这将有助于早期识别和针对性干预，从而减轻老龄化人口的衰弱负担。
