Monitoring human health behaviour in one's living environment: a technological review.

The electronic monitoring of human health behaviour using computer techniques has been an active research area for the past few decades. A wide array of different approaches have been investigated using various technologies including inertial sensors, Global Positioning System, smart homes, Radio Frequency IDentification and others. It is only in recent years that research has turned towards a sensor fusion approach using several different technologies in single systems or devices. These systems allow for an increased volume of data to be collected and for activity data to be better used as measures of behaviour. This change may be due to decreasing hardware costs, smaller sensors, increased power efficiency or increases in portability. This paper is intended to act as a reference for the design of multi-sensor behaviour monitoring systems. The range of technologies that have been used in isolation for behaviour monitoring both in research and commercial devices are reviewed and discussed. Filtering, range, sensitivity, usability and other considerations of different technologies are discussed. A brief overview of commercially available activity monitors and their technology is also included.

New technology-based functional assessment tools should avoid the weaknesses and proliferation of manual functional assessments.

BACKGROUND: Formal functional assessment tools for use with older adults have been in widespread use since the 1960s. Instruments have been designed to assess a wide range of different aspects of a person's everyday life. This article seeks to document the evolution of the tools used in such a way as to inform the development of the field. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: The Medline, CINHAL, and Science Direct databases were searched for relevant literature relating to the functional assessment of older adults. After analysis of initial results, a second-stage search was conducted to find literature relating to the use and validation of instruments found initially. RESULTS: Four categories of functional assessment instruments were identified for the purposes of this article: basic activities of daily living (ADLs), instrumental ADL, global health scales, and performance-based tests of functional ability. These categories and several of the most widely used tools therein are discussed chronologically to document the evolution of the field. CONCLUSIONS: With the advancement of technology has come the possibility to perform functional assessments in new ways. This outline of the evolution of functional assessment should be of considerable use as researchers seek to design new functional assessments for older adults.