Törnblom Madelene, Rönkkö Kari, Ådahl Kerstin, Karlsson Staffan, Olsson Möller Ulrika, Nivestam Anna
Faculty of Health Sciences, Kristianstad University, Kristianstad, SE-291 88, Sweden.
Faculty of Business, Kristianstad University, Kristianstad, Sweden.
BMC Geriatr. 2025 Jun 21;25(1):426. doi: 10.1186/s12877-025-06100-7.
Falls are common among older persons and can have a major impact on their lives. Wearable sensors used in free-living conditions (moving naturally in one's daily living environment) can be used to predict falls and fall risks. To understand if using the wearable sensors is an acceptable way for older persons to be screened for fall risks, it is important to have knowledge of older persons' experiences using wearable sensor-based technologies for fall risk assessment in free-living conditions Therefore, this study aimed to describe older persons' experiences of using such technology.
A qualitative study using individual interviews was conducted with 21 community-dwelling older persons (aged 77-81) in Sweden between April and September 2024. The older persons wore a thigh-mounted wearable sensor for one week to screen for fall risks in free-living conditions. Interviews were conducted 9-89 days (median 15 days) after sensor use and were analysed using conventional qualitative content analysis.
Older persons' experiences with wearable sensor-based fall risk screening were described using the overarching theme 'Being an older person in a fall screening process' containing five categories: 'Seeing a need for a fall risk sensor but imagining it as an unattainable ideal', 'Utilising a wearable sensor can be uncomplicated and fun', 'Having worries and experiencing problems', 'Thinking about what the wearable sensor has registered about me', and 'Reflecting on how I can benefit from the screening'.
The older persons had various experiences with the wearable sensor-based screening for fall risks in free-living conditions. The wearable sensor was easy to use, although problems could occur while wearing it, such as losing the sensor or developing skin problems. The older persons wanted to benefit from the screening and improve their health based on the results. Further research could focus on the accuracy of fall predictors used in free-living conditions for assessing fall risks in older persons, since the wearable sensor was perceived as acceptable to use.
跌倒在老年人中很常见，并且会对他们的生活产生重大影响。在自由生活条件下（即在日常生活环境中自然活动）使用的可穿戴传感器可用于预测跌倒和跌倒风险。为了了解使用可穿戴传感器对老年人进行跌倒风险筛查是否是一种可接受的方式，了解老年人在自由生活条件下使用基于可穿戴传感器的技术进行跌倒风险评估的经历非常重要。因此，本研究旨在描述老年人使用此类技术的经历。
2024年4月至9月，在瑞典对21名社区居住的老年人（年龄在77 - 81岁之间）进行了一项采用个人访谈的定性研究。这些老年人佩戴大腿式可穿戴传感器一周，以在自由生活条件下筛查跌倒风险。在使用传感器9 - 89天（中位数为15天）后进行访谈，并使用传统的定性内容分析法进行分析。
老年人使用基于可穿戴传感器的跌倒风险筛查的经历被描述为总体主题“在跌倒筛查过程中作为老年人”，包含五个类别：“认识到对跌倒风险传感器的需求，但将其想象为一个无法实现的理想”、“使用可穿戴传感器可以简单有趣”、“有担忧并遇到问题”、“思考可穿戴传感器记录了关于我的哪些信息”以及“思考如何从筛查中受益”。
老年人在自由生活条件下使用基于可穿戴传感器的跌倒风险筛查有各种经历。可穿戴传感器易于使用，尽管佩戴时可能会出现问题，如传感器丢失或出现皮肤问题。老年人希望从筛查中受益，并根据结果改善健康状况。由于可穿戴传感器被认为是可以接受的，进一步研究可以关注在自由生活条件下用于评估老年人跌倒风险的跌倒预测器的准确性。
