
Wearable sensors for fall risk screening – Insights from older persons [PCC025] Har passerat
Tisdag 5 maj 2026 17:00 - 17:15 G1
Moderator: Vasiliki MylonopoulouRapportör: Madelene Törnblom
Spår: Orals Digitalisation & eHealth
Background: Falls are a major health concern among older persons, and wearable sensors offer promising opportunities for fall risk prediction in real-world settings. However, the acceptability and user experience of such technologies among older persons in their daily lives remain understudied. Understanding the experiences of older persons is essential for the successful implementation of wearable sensor-based fall risk screening. Methods: In 2024, a qualitative study was conducted in Sweden with 21 community-dwelling older persons (13 women and 8 men) aged 77–81 years. Participants wore a thigh-mounted wearable sensor for one week to screen for fall risk in daily life. Individual interviews were held 9–89 days after sensor use (median: 15 days) and analysed using conventional qualitative content analysis. Results: Older persons’ experiences with wearable sensor-based fall risk screening were explored through the overarching theme ‘Being an older person in a fall screening process’. Despite the standardised procedure of the screening, they all had unique experiences reflecting a diversity of perspectives. While the sensor was generally experienced as easy to use, some encountered challenges during wear, such as losing the sensor. The older persons emphasized that screening results must be personally meaningful and actionable for health improvement, expressing a desire to actively use the information to support their health goals. Conclusions: The older persons described diverse and unique experiences of wearable sensor-based fall risk screening in their daily lives. The wearable sensor was perceived as an acceptable tool, emphasizing the value of further research into fall risk technology to enhance the accuracy of fall risk assessments in daily life. The results of this study highlight that the screening results should be presented in a person-centred way, ensuring that the older person can understand and, if they wish, use the information to actively support and improve their health.
Konferens
GCPCC
GCPCC Seminarietyp
Orals
GCPCC Kod
PCC025
Föreläsare
Vasiliki Mylonopoulou Moderator
Associate Prof.
University of Gothenburg
Vasiliki is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie alumna, focusing on Digital Health and Inclusion. She works with and for people with chronic conditions to support them to live independently and remain connected to loved ones and healthcare professionals without compromising their privacy and autonomy. She has worked with healthcare professionals and other stakeholders to support person-centric care services from a design perspective. Her vision is to create an inclusive digital society where the inequalities of the physical world in accessing, understanding, and receiving healthcare are absent.
More about Vasiliki at https://www.vasilikimylo.com/
Madelene Törnblom Rapportör
PhD student in Caring Science
Kristianstad University
Madelene Törnblom, Kari Rönkkö, Kerstin Ådahl, Staffan Karlsson, Ulrika Olsson Möller, Anna Nivestam