Assessing the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a smart home emergency call system: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial in Germany

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 ca...

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Main Authors: Michael Weber, Ulrich Thiem, Wolfgang Greiner, Hanna Rehse, Lena Hasemann, Kristina Ludwig, Svenja Elkenkamp, Johanna Kampmann, Thomas Nebling, Sarina Mozek, Michael Koepke, Udo Schröder-Hörster, Birgit Münch, Stefan Markard, Jürgen Federmann, Svenja Warkentin, Vera Krambeer, Tim Rosskamp, Stefan Windrich, Susanna Maaß, Tilman Schaknat, Rainer Goersch, Barbara Ruß-Thiel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2025-04-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/4/e092893.full
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author Michael Weber
Ulrich Thiem
Wolfgang Greiner
Hanna Rehse
Lena Hasemann
Kristina Ludwig
Svenja Elkenkamp
Johanna Kampmann
Thomas Nebling
Sarina Mozek
Michael Koepke
Udo Schröder-Hörster
Birgit Münch
Stefan Markard
Jürgen Federmann
Svenja Warkentin
Vera Krambeer
Tim Rosskamp
Stefan Windrich
Susanna Maaß
Tilman Schaknat
Rainer Goersch
Barbara Ruß-Thiel
author_facet Michael Weber
Ulrich Thiem
Wolfgang Greiner
Hanna Rehse
Lena Hasemann
Kristina Ludwig
Svenja Elkenkamp
Johanna Kampmann
Thomas Nebling
Sarina Mozek
Michael Koepke
Udo Schröder-Hörster
Birgit Münch
Stefan Markard
Jürgen Federmann
Svenja Warkentin
Vera Krambeer
Tim Rosskamp
Stefan Windrich
Susanna Maaß
Tilman Schaknat
Rainer Goersch
Barbara Ruß-Thiel
author_sort Michael Weber
collection DOAJ
description 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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spelling doaj-art-b0a42ef3d9684f3797921f765b6a4af22025-08-20T03:52:39ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552025-04-0115410.1136/bmjopen-2024-092893Assessing the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a smart home emergency call system: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial in GermanyMichael Weber0Ulrich Thiem1Wolfgang Greiner2Hanna Rehse3Lena Hasemann4Kristina Ludwig5Svenja Elkenkamp6Johanna Kampmann7Thomas Nebling8Sarina MozekMichael KoepkeUdo Schröder-HörsterBirgit MünchStefan MarkardJürgen FedermannSvenja WarkentinVera KrambeerTim RosskampStefan WindrichSusanna MaaßTilman SchaknatRainer GoerschBarbara Ruß-Thiel5Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaChair of Geriatrics and Gerontology, University Clinic Eppendorf, Hamburg, GermanyDepartment of Health Economics and Health Care Management. School of Public Health, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, GermanySchool of Public Health, AG 5–Department of Health Economics and Health Care Management, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Nordrhein-Westfalen, GermanySchool of Public Health, AG 5–Department of Health Economics and Health Care Management, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Nordrhein-Westfalen, GermanySchool of Public Health, AG 5–Department of Health Economics and Health Care Management, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Nordrhein-Westfalen, GermanySchool of Public Health, AG 5–Department of Health Economics and Health Care Management, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Nordrhein-Westfalen, GermanyTechniker Krankenkasse, Hamburg, GermanyTechniker Krankenkasse, Hamburg, GermanyIntroduction 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.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/4/e092893.full
spellingShingle Michael Weber
Ulrich Thiem
Wolfgang Greiner
Hanna Rehse
Lena Hasemann
Kristina Ludwig
Svenja Elkenkamp
Johanna Kampmann
Thomas Nebling
Sarina Mozek
Michael Koepke
Udo Schröder-Hörster
Birgit Münch
Stefan Markard
Jürgen Federmann
Svenja Warkentin
Vera Krambeer
Tim Rosskamp
Stefan Windrich
Susanna Maaß
Tilman Schaknat
Rainer Goersch
Barbara Ruß-Thiel
Assessing the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a smart home emergency call system: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial in Germany
BMJ Open
title Assessing the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a smart home emergency call system: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial in Germany
title_full Assessing the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a smart home emergency call system: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial in Germany
title_fullStr Assessing the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a smart home emergency call system: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial in Germany
title_full_unstemmed Assessing the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a smart home emergency call system: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial in Germany
title_short Assessing the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a smart home emergency call system: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial in Germany
title_sort assessing the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of a smart home emergency call system study protocol for a randomised controlled trial in germany
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/4/e092893.full
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