scholarly journals Comparison of Retrospective and Prospective Falls Reporting Among Community-Dwelling Older People: Findings From Two Cohort Studies

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Hibatullah Romli ◽  
Lynette Mackenzie ◽  
Pey June Tan ◽  
Re On Chiew ◽  
Shun Herng Tan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Telephone Interview ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
High Response Rate ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Observation Study ◽  
Retrospective Recall ◽  
Community Dwelling Older People ◽  
Healthy Community

Background: While prospective recording is considered as the gold standard, retrospective recall is widely utilized for falls outcomes due to its convenience. This brings about the concern on the validity of falls reporting in Southeast Asian countries, as the reliability of falls recall has not previously been studied. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability of retrospective falls recall compared to prospective falls recording.Methods: A secondary analysis of data from two prospective recording methods, falls diary and falls calendar, from two different research projects were obtained and analyzed. Retrospective falls recall was collected either through phone interview or follow-up clinic by asking the participants if they had fallen in the past 12 months.Results: Two-hundred-sixty-eight and 280 elderly participated in the diary and calendar groups, respectively. Moderate (46%) and poor (11%) return rates were found on completed diary and calendar recording. Under-(32%) and overreporting (24%) of falls were found in diary compared to only 4% of overreporting for the calendar. Retrospective recall method achieved 57% response rate for the diary group (followed up at clinic) and 89% for the calendar group (followed up via telephone interview). Agreement between retrospective and prospective reporting was moderate for the diary (kappa =0.44; p < 0.001) and strong for the calendar (kappa = 0.89; p < 0.001).Conclusion: Retrospective recall is reliable and acceptable in an observation study within healthy community older adults, while the combination of retrospective and prospective falls recording is the best for an intervention study with frailer older population. Telephone interview is convenient, low cost, and yielded a high response rate.

A Simple Red Tide Warning Device

2014 ◽  
Vol 551 ◽  
pp. 270-274
Author(s):  
Fang Yu ◽  
Jia Li Yuan ◽  
Chen Chen ◽  
Bao Jin Peng
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Chlorophyll A ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Red Tide ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
High Response Rate ◽  
Pin Diode ◽  
Spectrum Characteristic ◽  
Warning Device

Aiming at the growing red tide, we designed a simply red tide predication device which is intended to measure the content of red tide alga in seawater. We make use of Chlorophyll A’s spectrum characteristic, which is in the red tide alga. Then combined with narrow spectrum of LED, high photon-electron efficiency and high response rate of PIN diode, different idea, we designed a circuit to amplify, acquire, process the optoelectronic signal and put the warning information on PC. We can know the accurate content of red tide alga in seawater in real time by monitoring the content of Chlorophyll A. This device has the advantages of high sensitivity, low cost and easy to operate .etc.

scholarly journals Detection of Volatile Compounds Emitted by Bacteria in Wounds Using Gas Sensors

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 1523
Author(s):  
Carlos Salinas Alvarez ◽  
Daniel Sierra–Sosa ◽  
Begonya Garcia–Zapirain ◽  
Deborah Yoder–Himes ◽  
Adel Elmaghraby
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Gas Sensors ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
High Response Rate ◽  
Wound Infections ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Ammonia Detection ◽  
Detection Response ◽  
Acetone Detection

In this paper we analyze an experiment for the use of low-cost gas sensors intended to detect bacteria in wounds using a non-intrusive technique. Seven different genera/species of microbes tend to be present in most wound infections. Detection of these bacteria usually requires sample and laboratory testing which is costly, inconvenient and time-consuming. The validation processes for these sensors with nineteen types of microbes (1 Candida, 2 Enterococcus, 6 Staphylococcus, 1 Aeromonas, 1 Micrococcus, 2 E. coli and 6 Pseudomonas) are presented here, in which four sensors were evaluated: TGS-826 used for ammonia and amines, MQ-3 used for alcohol detection, MQ-135 for CO2 and MQ-138 for acetone detection. Validation was undertaken by studying the behavior of the sensors at different distances and gas concentrations. Preliminary results with liquid cultures of 108 CFU/mL and solid cultures of 108 CFU/cm2 of the 6 Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains revealed that the four gas sensors showed a response at a height of 5 mm. The ammonia detection response of the TGS-826 to Pseudomonas showed the highest responses for the experimental samples over the background signals, with a difference between the values ​​of up to 60 units in the solid samples and the most consistent and constant values. This could suggest that this sensor is a good detector of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and the recording made of its values ​​could be indicative of the detection of this species. All the species revealed similar CO2 emission and a high response rate with acetone for Micrococcus, Aeromonas and Staphylococcus.

scholarly journals The Validity of Consumer-Level Activity Monitors in Healthy Older Adults in Free-Living Conditions

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Farina ◽  
Ruth G. Lowry
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Living Conditions ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Activity Monitors ◽  
And Function ◽  
Healthy Community ◽  
Free Living Conditions

Consumer-level activity monitors, such as Fitbit and Misfit devices, are a popular and low-cost means of measuring physical activity. This study aims to compare the accuracy of step counts from two consumer-level activity monitors against two reference devices in healthy, community-dwelling older adults in free-living conditions. Twenty-five older adults (aged 65–84) simultaneously wore 5 devices (e.g., Misfit Shine and Fitbit Charge HR) over 7 consecutive days. All consumer-level activity monitors positively correlated with reference devices (p < .001). There was also substantial to near perfect agreement between all consumer-level activity monitors and reference devices. Compared to the ActiGraph GT3X+, the waist-worn Misfit Shine displayed the highest agreement amongst the devices worn (ICC = 0.96, 95% 0.91 to 0.99). The wrist-worn devices showed poorer agreement to reference devices. Future research needs to consider that not all consumer-level activity monitors are equal in terms of accuracy, design, and function.

Prioritization and management of calls from older people to GP out-of-hours services

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Smith ◽  
Lucia Carragher
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Emergency Services ◽  
Oldest Old ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Older Person ◽  
Out Of Hours ◽  
Accident And Emergency ◽  
Community Dwelling Older People

Abstract Background Urgent out-of-hours medical care is necessary to ensure people can remain living at home into older age. However, older people experience multiple barriers to using out-of-hours services including poor awareness about the general practitioner (GP) out-of-hours (GPOOH) service and how to access it. In particular, older people are reluctant users of GPOOH services because they expect either their symptoms will not be taken seriously or they will simply be referred to hospital accident and emergency services. The aim of this study was to examine if this expectation was borne out in the manner of GPOOH service provision. Objective The objective was to establish the urgency categorization and management of calls to GPOOH , for community dwelling older people in Ireland. Methods An 8-week sample of 770 calls, for people over 65 years, to a GPOOH service in Ireland, was analysed using Excel and Nvivo software. Results Urgency categorization of older people shows 40% of calls categorized as urgent. Recognition of the severity of symptoms, prompting calls to the GPOOH service, is also reflected in a quarter of callers receiving a home visit by the GP and referral of a third of calls to emergency services. The findings also show widespread reliance on another person to negotiate the GPOOH system, with a third party making 70% of calls on behalf of the older person seeking care. Conclusion Older people are in urgent need of medical services when they contact GPOOH service, which plays an effective and patient-centred gatekeeping role, particularly directing the oldest old to the appropriate level of care outside GP office hours. The promotion of GPOOH services should be enhanced to ensure older people understand their role in supporting community living.

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