A low-cost automatic fall prevention system for inpatients

Fall situations in the context of hospitalization represent high injury risks for the patient and can determine delays or even setbacks in the recovery process. This risk of fall can be minimized by using trained personnel but also using smart equipments that continuously monitor the patients and that can automatically raise alerts as a preventive measure. In this paper a new low-cost system for the prevention of falls in inpatients is proposed. The system is based on a simple modular design that can be easily adapted to distinct equipments such as a bed or an armchair. The sensing devices are pressure mats, transparent for the user and highly sensitive to body position changes, and accelerometers, that can reliably monitor movement while using a very small footprint. The main purpose of the system is to monitor the patients' movement while trying to detect the intention to abandon the bed or armchair. The system was widely tested using a pre-defined protocol and the overall results are quite promising. Some issues were also detected which opens the path for further developments.