Dogu Elif, Paredes José A, Alomainy Akram, Jones Janelle M, Rajab Khalid Z
School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK.
School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Roehampton, London, SW15 5PU, UK.
Sci Rep. 2025 Aug 7;15(1):28842. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-14416-y.
Falls constitute a significant public health concern, demanding innovative solutions that transcend traditional methodologies. Current falls practice focuses on reactive post-fall assessment and management rather than proactive prevention and mitigation. We propose that millimetre-wave radar technology for real-time, continuous falls risk screening at home may address the limitations of current falls practice. To investigate the feasibility of this solution, we interviewed five experts in physiotherapy, falls prevention among older adults, and comprehensive geriatric assessment to identify the current state of play and potential for changes to falls practice. We applied a novel technique, systems mapping, to visually illustrate and analyse the interactions between components of current and proposed systems for addressing falls and constructed two conceptual maps: First, the current system was mapped by asking experts about the causal relationships between 15 system components. Second, to examine the feasibility of the proposed system, the components related to falls risk screening were replaced by radar-based home monitoring and experts were asked to re-evaluate the causal relationships between system components. Next, four scenarios (no fear of falling, no mobility limitation, maximising screening in the current system, maximising radar-based screening) were applied using the maps. Experts identified mobility deterioration and previous falls as key indicators of future falls, noting that increased screening in current practice could reduce risks but increase healthcare professionals' workloads. Experts were positive about radar-based wireless home monitoring, believing it could reduce fall risks whilst reducing all fall-related costs. These findings suggest that, according to experts, millimetre-wave radar can be an effective solution in advancing falls prevention.
跌倒构成了一个重大的公共卫生问题，需要超越传统方法的创新解决方案。当前的跌倒实践侧重于跌倒后的反应性评估和管理，而非前瞻性的预防和缓解。我们提出，用于在家中进行实时、持续跌倒风险筛查的毫米波雷达技术可能会解决当前跌倒实践的局限性。为了研究该解决方案的可行性，我们采访了五位物理治疗、老年人跌倒预防和综合老年评估方面的专家，以确定当前的情况以及跌倒实践改变的可能性。我们应用了一种新技术——系统映射，以直观地说明和分析当前及提议的跌倒应对系统各组成部分之间的相互作用，并构建了两个概念图：首先，通过询问专家关于15个系统组成部分之间的因果关系来绘制当前系统的概念图。其次，为了检验提议系统的可行性，将与跌倒风险筛查相关的组成部分替换为基于雷达的家庭监测，并要求专家重新评估系统组成部分之间的因果关系。接下来，使用这些概念图应用了四种情景（不害怕跌倒、无行动能力限制、在当前系统中最大化筛查、最大化基于雷达的筛查）。专家们将行动能力恶化和既往跌倒确定为未来跌倒的关键指标，指出在当前实践中增加筛查可以降低风险，但会增加医疗保健专业人员的工作量。专家们对基于雷达的无线家庭监测持积极态度，认为它可以降低跌倒风险，同时降低所有与跌倒相关的成本。这些发现表明，根据专家的看法，毫米波雷达可以成为推进跌倒预防的有效解决方案。
