Method and system for assessing fall risk

• US 7,682,308 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2007
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AHI of Indiana Incorporated
• Original Assignee: AHI of Indiana Incorporated
• Inventors: Hendrich, Loretta Ann
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, III; Henry M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rajan; Kai
• Application Number:
  US11/850,826
• Publication Number:
  US 20080009686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• Field of Search: 600/300, 600/301, 128903-905, 128/920
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/00 Measuring for diagnostic purposes radiation diagnosis A61B6/00; diagnosis by ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves A61B8/00; Identification of persons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1117 Fall detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4023 Evaluating sense of balance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/412 Detecting or monitoring sepsis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/00 ICT specially adapted for therapies or health-improving plans, e.g. for handling prescriptions, for steering therapy or for monitoring patient compliance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 Computer assisted medical diagnostics

Abstract

A method and system for determining the fall risk of a patient is provided. The method includes the evaluation of a patient to determine whether the patient exhibits one or more intrinsic fall risk factors selected from a group consisting of confusion, depression, altered elimination, dizziness, male gender, antiepileptic/anticonvulsant prescriptions and benzodiazepine prescriptions. A specific point value is assigned to each of the intrinsic risk factors found to be exhibited by the patient. A mobility test is also performed on the patient to evaluate the patient'"'"'s ability to rise from a seated position, and a specific mobility test point value is assigned to the patient based upon the patient'"'"'s performance of the mobility test. Each intrinsic risk factor'"'"'s specific point value is then summed together with the specific mobility test point value to achieve a total risk score, and the patient'"'"'s fall risk is determined based on the total risk score. An intervention process may be developed for the patient based on the patient'"'"'s fall risk.

Claims

1. A system for determining a fall risk of a patient for use by a caregiver, the system comprising:

a first computer readable storage medium for recording fall risk data of a patient, the fall risk data including the fall risk factors exhibited of confusion, depression, altered elimination, dizziness, male gender, antiepileptic/anticonvulsant prescriptions and benzodiazepine prescriptions;

a second computer readable storage medium for recording mobility data of the patient, the mobility data including information about the patient'"'"'s ability to rise from a seated position;

an input device for enabling a caregiver to enter the fall risk data and the mobility data into the first and second computer readable storage media, wherein the caregiver enters a weighted point value from a predefined point value range for each of the intrinsic fall risk factors exhibited by the patient and a weighted point value from a predefined point value range based upon the patient'"'"'s ability to rise from a seated position;

wherein the point values for confusion and the ability to rise from a seated position are the highest weighted point values;

the point values for altered elimination, dizziness, male gender and benzodiazepine prescriptions are the lowest weighted point values; and

the remaining intrinsic fall risk factors are each assigned a weighted point value between the highest and lowest weighted point values;

a processor for summing the weighted point values for the intrinsic fall risk factors and the weighted point value based on the patient'"'"'s ability to rise from a seated position to achieve a total fall risk score and for determining the patient'"'"'s fall risk based upon the total fall risk score; and

a display for communicating the total fall risk score of the patient to the caregiver.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a computing station having a user interface for entering the data into at least one of the first and second computer readable storage media.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a network for transmitting the data from the computing station to at least one of the first and second computer readable storage media.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the network is selected from a group including an Internet and an Intranet.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the input device is selected from at least one of a mouse, a keyboard, an electronic display screen, an electronic stylus and a voice recognition program.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a computerized device encoded with computer programming logic that when executed compares a patient'"'"'s total fall risk score with other total fall risk scores contained within an electronic database to determine fall risk trends.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a computerized device encoded with computer programming logic that when executed generates a message to a remote computing station when a patient'"'"'s total fall risk score is greater than or equal to five.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a computerized device encoded with computer programming logic that when executed communicates the total fall risk score of the patient to a caregiver.

9. A computer readable storage medium for use with a fall risk determination system, the storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a caregiver, cause the fall risk determination system to implement the following steps:

calculating a total fall risk score of a patient by summing a weighted point value from a predefined point value range based upon the patient'"'"'s ability to rise from a seated position together with weighted point values from a predefined point value range, each of the weighted point values being individually representative of intrinsic fall risk factors exhibited by the patient of confusion, depression, altered elimination, dizziness, male gender, antiepileptic/anticonvulsant prescriptions and benzodiazepine prescriptions, wherein at least one first intrinsic fall risk factor is assigned a highest weighted point value, at least one second intrinsic fall risk factor is assigned a lowest weighted point value, and the remaining intrinsic fall risk factors are each assigned a weighted point value in between the highest and lowest point values; and

communicating the total fall risk score of the patient to the caregiver;

wherein the point value for confusion is the highest weighted point value;

the point value for depression is in between the highest weighted point value and the lowest weighted point value;

the point value for altered elimination is the lowest weighted point value;

the point value for dizziness is the lowest weighted point value;

the point value for the male gender is the lowest weighted point value;

the point value for an antiepileptic/anticonvulsant prescription is in between the highest weighted point value and the lowest weighted point value;

the point value for a benzodiazepine prescription is the lowest weighted point value; and

the weighted point value based on the patient'"'"'s ability to rise from a seated position is the highest weighted point value.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the stored instructions, when executed, further cause the fall risk determination system to compare a patient'"'"'s total fall risk score with other total fall risk scores contained within an electronic database to determine fall risk trends.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the stored instructions, when executed, further cause the fall risk determination system to generate a message to a remote computing station when a patient'"'"'s total fall risk score is greater than or equal to five.