title: Multimodal activity monitoring for home rehabilitation of geriatric fracture patients--feasibility and acceptance of sensor systems in the GAL-NATARS study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Demographic change will lead to a diminishing care workforce faced with rising numbers of older persons in need of care, suggesting meaningful use of health-enabling technologies, and home monitoring in particular, to contribute to supporting both the carers and the persons in need.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We present and discuss the GAL-NATARS study design along with first results regarding technical feasibility of long-term home monitoring and acceptance of different sensor modalities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fourteen geriatric participants with mobility-impairing fractures were recruited in three geriatric clinics. Following inpatient geriatric rehabilitation, their homes were equipped with ambient sensor components for three months. Additionally, a wearable accelerometer was employed. Technical feasibility was assessed by system and component downtimes, technology acceptance by face-to-face interviews.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall system downtime was 6%, effected by two single events, but not by software failures. Technology acceptance was rated very high by all participants at the end of the monitoring periods, and no interference with their social lives was reported.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Home-monitoring technologies were well-accepted by our participants. The information content of the data still needs to be evaluated with regard to clinical outcome parameters as well as the effect on the quality of life before recommending large-scale implementations.
authors.affiliation: Peter L. Reichertz Institute for Medical Informatics, University of Braunschweig - Institute of Technology and Hannover Medical School , Hannover , Germany .
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marschollek
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Jürgen M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bente
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dasenbrock
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Elbers
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hein
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kolb
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Künemund
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lammel-Polchau
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Meis
authors.forename: Hubertus
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Meyer Zu Schwabedissen
authors.forename: Hartmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Remmers
authors.forename: Mareike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schulze
authors.forename: Enno-Edzard
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Steen
authors.forename: Wilfried
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Thoben
authors.forename: Ju
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Klaus-Hendrik
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: Reinhold
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haux
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000295:instrumentation*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life
keywords: Falls; geriatric rehabilitation; home monitoring; pattern recognition; physical activity