A smartphone-based fall risk assessment tool: Measuring One Leg Standing, Sit to Stand and Falls Efficacy Scale

摘要

Falls are not an inevitable consequence of ageing. Several fall risk factors can be identified and effective fall prevention techniques applied, which offer an opportunity to reduce falls among older persons. In this paper, the smartphone is proposed as an alternative to traditional methods in the assessment of fall risk factors, including decline in balance, reduced lower limb strength and fear of falling. As such, clinical fall risk assessment tests were adapted to the smartphone in order to measure One Leg Standing, Sit to Stand and Falls Efficacy Scale. Experimental results of the system support the feasibility of a reliable phone-based fall predictor, which constitutes an alternative to evaluate fall risk factors in ageing.