Assessing the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a smart home emergency call system: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial in Germany.
BMJ Open · 2025-04-29 · Study protocol
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Falls can lead to serious health-related consequences in the older population. If an emergency occurs within the home environment of an older person living alone, the initiation of emergency care can be delayed, leading to even worse outcomes for this population. Smart home emergency call systems (HECSs) can detect falls and automatically trigger an emergency alarm, potentially reducing time to emergency care and improving outcomes. The INES (Intelligentes NotfallErkennungsSystem-smart emergency detection system) study is a prospective randomised controlled trial conducted in three German federal states that aims to investigate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a smart HECS. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Following a telephone interview, individuals aged 70 years or older, living alone, at risk of falling and willing to participate are included in the study. Participants are assigned to one of two groups depending on their previous use of a HECS. Based on the sample size calculation, the study aims to recruit n=498 participants already using a standard HECS (group A) and n=1378 participants who have not used a HECS before (group B). Within both groups, participants are randomised into the intervention arm (IA) and control arm (CA). The IA receives a smart HECS during the 21-month follow-up period. In addition to a standard HECS with a base station and a wearable radio transmitter, the smart HECS includes sensors that can detect falls and automatically trigger an alarm. The primary outcome assessed will be the days spent in the hospital after an emergency admission. Secondary outcomes include the utilisation of healthcare services and their total costs, progression of care dependency, fear of falling (Falls Efficacy Scale-International), health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-5L) and well-being (ICEpop CAPability measure for Older people). ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The design and conceptualisation of the INES study were approved by the ethics committee of the Hamburg Medical Association on 26 June 2023 (2023-101032-BO-ff). Results of the INES study will be published in peer-reviewed articles. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien, German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00031408. Registered on 28 June 2023.
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Tags
Cost & cost-effectiveness · Older adults · Quality of life & function
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