Department of Computer Science, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America.
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2023 Oct 5;18(10):e0292548. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292548. eCollection 2023.
Gait-stabilizing devices (GSDs) are effective at preventing falls, but people are often reluctant to use them until after experiencing a fall. Inexpensive, convenient, and effective methods for predicting which patients need GSDs could help improve adoption. The purpose of this study was to determine if a Wii Balance Board (WBB) can be used to determine whether or not patients use a GSD. We prospectively recruited participants ages 70-100, some who used GSDs and some who did not. Participants first answered questions from the Modified Vulnerable Elders Survey, and then completed a grip-strength test using a handgrip dynamometer. Finally, they were asked to complete a series of four 30-second balance tests on a WBB in random order: (1) eyes open, feet apart; (2) eyes open, feet together; (3) eyes closed, feet apart; and (4) eyes closed, feet together. The four-test series was repeated a second time in the same random order. The resulting data, represented as 25 features extracted from the questionnaires and the grip test, and data from the eight balance tests, were used to predict a subject's GSD use using generalized functional linear models based on the Bernoulli distribution. 268 participants were consented; 62 were missing data elements and were removed from analysis; 109 were not GSD users and 97 were GSD users. The use of velocity and acceleration information from the WBB improved upon predictions based solely on grip strength, demographic, and survey variables. The WBB is a convenient, inexpensive, and easy-to-use device that can be used to recommend whether or not patients should be using a GSD.
步态稳定装置（GSD）可有效预防跌倒，但人们通常在跌倒后才愿意使用。如果有一种经济实惠、方便且有效的方法来预测哪些患者需要 GSD，可能有助于提高其使用率。本研究旨在确定 Wii 平衡板（WBB）是否可用于确定患者是否使用 GSD。我们前瞻性招募了 70-100 岁的参与者，其中一些使用了 GSD，一些则没有。参与者首先回答了修改后的脆弱老年人调查问题，然后使用握力计进行了握力测试。最后，他们被要求在 WBB 上以随机顺序完成四项 30 秒平衡测试：（1）睁眼，脚分开；（2）睁眼，脚并拢；（3）闭眼，脚分开；（4）闭眼，脚并拢。同样以随机顺序重复进行了第二次四项测试系列。将作为从问卷和握力测试中提取的 25 个特征以及八项平衡测试的数据结果用于使用基于伯努利分布的广义功能线性模型来预测受试者的 GSD 使用情况。有 268 名参与者同意参与；有 62 名参与者缺少数据元素，因此被排除在分析之外；109 名参与者未使用 GSD，97 名参与者使用 GSD。WBB 中使用速度和加速度信息可提高仅基于握力、人口统计学和调查变量的预测效果。WBB 是一种方便、经济实惠且易于使用的设备，可用于推荐患者是否应使用 GSD。
