CatchU App for Fall Injury Prevention

(CatchU Trial)

Recruiting at 1 trial location

Overseen By Jeannette R Mahoney, PhD

Age: 65+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Jeannette Mahoney

Must not be taking: Neuroleptics

Disqualifiers: Dementia, Cancer, Parkinson's, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 1

84 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial tests a new iPhone app called CatchU, designed to help doctors assess and discuss fall risks with older adults. The app measures how well older adults can respond to visual and touch cues, which helps identify those at higher risk of falling. The goal is to prevent falls, promote independence, and improve quality of life for older adults.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial does not specify if you need to stop taking your current medications. However, if you are using medications that might affect safety or cognitive functioning, the screening clinician may decide if it's necessary to adjust them.

What data supports the effectiveness of the CatchU Intervention treatment for fall injury prevention?

Research shows that mobile technology, like the CatchU App, can effectively measure and prevent fall risks in older adults by providing personalized assessments and interventions. Additionally, automating fall risk tests with technology, such as the Timed Up and Go Test, offers a more accurate and detailed evaluation of fall risks, which can enhance prevention strategies. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is the CatchU App for Fall Injury Prevention safe for humans?

The research does not provide specific safety data for the CatchU App or similar interventions, but electronic sensor alarms for fall prevention have been found to be feasible, effective, and acceptable in patients with cognitive impairment, suggesting a general level of safety in similar technologies. ^{6 7 8 9 10}

How does the CatchU Intervention treatment differ from other fall prevention treatments?

The CatchU Intervention is unique because it likely involves a digital or app-based approach to fall prevention, which may use wearable sensors to assess fall risk more objectively and accurately than traditional methods. This approach can provide personalized interventions and is suitable for unsupervised use, making it more accessible and practical for larger populations. ^{5 7 11 12 13}

Research Team

Mooyeon Oh-Park, MD

Principal Investigator

The Burke Rehabilitation Hospital

Jeannette R Mahoney, PhD

Principal Investigator

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Eligibility Criteria

The CatchU study is for English-speaking adults aged 65+ living in the New York Metropolitan area who can walk with or without aids like canes. They should be able to visit a clinic and not have severe medical conditions, dementia, major mobility issues due to musculoskeletal pain, progressive neurological diseases, severe sensory impairments, or any psychiatric symptoms that could interfere with the study.

Inclusion Criteria

I can walk and leave my house without help, even if I use walking aids.

Able to speak English at a level sufficient to undergo our assessment battery

I am 65 or older, live in the New York Metropolitan area, and plan to stay for 3+ years.

Exclusion Criteria

I have been diagnosed with a progressive neurological disease like Parkinson's or ALS.

You live in a nursing home.

My mobility is limited only because of joint issues or pain.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Baseline Assessment

Participants undergo baseline assessment of multisensory integration performance using the CatchU app

1 visit

1 visit (in-person)

Intervention

Participants in the intervention group receive the CatchU intervention, including individualized recommendations and falls counseling

24 months

Bimonthly telephone interviews

Control Monitoring

Participants in the control group are monitored every two months via telephone surveys to determine falls history

24 months

Bimonthly telephone interviews

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for falls and related outcomes over a 24-month period post-baseline

24 months

Bimonthly telephone interviews

Treatment Details

Interventions

• CatchU Intervention

Trial Overview CatchU Intervention is being tested; it's an iPhone app designed to assess fall risk in older adults. The trial aims to show how well this app predicts falls by using it during clinical visits and follow-up telehealth calls. This pilot study will involve 300 patients over two years.

Participant Groups

Group I: CatchU Intervention Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Placement into the intervention vs. control group is random, but dependent upon multisensory integration performance. VSI - (poor) integrators, will be randomly assigned into either the intervention or control group to test the beneficial effect of the CatchU intervention. Participants in the Intervention arm will be monitored every two months to determine falls history, but will also receive the CatchU intervention which consists of physicians relaying individualized recommendations from the CatchU physician report to the participant, as well as providing the participant with falls intervention referrals and falls counseling.

Group II: Control Active Control 1 Intervention

Placement into the intervention vs. control group is random, but dependent upon multisensory integration performance. Meaning, older adults who are enrolled and screened with good integration abilities on the CatchU test (aka: VSI + (good) integrators), (VSI = visual-somatosensory integration) will not be placed in either the intervention or control group since better visual-somatosensory integration performance has been linked to better cognitive and motor outcomes. These participants will be included in examination of additional study aims not related to the intervention. VSI - (poor) integrators, will be randomly assigned into either the intervention or control group to test the beneficial effect of the CatchU intervention. Participants in the Control arm will be monitored every two months via telephone surveys to determine falls history, but will not receive the CatchU intervention.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Jeannette Mahoney

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1

Recruited

80+

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Lead Sponsor

Trials

302

Recruited

11,690,000+

Burke Rehabilitation Hospital

Collaborator

Trials

9

Recruited

750+

Montefiore Medical Center

Collaborator

Trials

468

Recruited

599,000+

References

1. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Individually-tailored multifactorial intervention to reduce falls in the Malaysian Falls Assessment and Intervention Trial (MyFAIT): A randomized controlled trial. [2019]

2. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Using the timed up and go test to stratify elderly inpatients at risk of falls. [2017]

3. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Mobile Technology for Falls Prevention in Older Adults. [2023]

4. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Automating the Timed Up and Go Test Using a Depth Camera. [2018]

5. Australia pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Longitudinal study of the Home Falls and Accidents Screening Tool in identifying older people at increased risk of falls. [2022]

6. Australia pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The experiences of older adults with cognitive impairment in using falls prevention alarms in hospital: A qualitative descriptive study. [2023]

7. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Validity and reliability of an android device for the assessment of fall risk in older adult inmates. [2023]

8. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Enabling older adults to carry out paperless falls-risk self-assessments using guidetomeasure-3D: A mixed methods study. [2020]

9. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Comparison of a fall risk assessment tool with nurses' judgement alone: a cluster-randomised controlled trial. [2019]

10. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of an electronic sensor bed/chair alarm in reducing falls in patients with cognitive impairment in a subacute ward. [2014]

11. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Digital assessment of falls risk, frailty, and mobility impairment using wearable sensors. [2020]

12. Germany pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Assessing fall risk using wearable sensors: a practical discussion. A review of the practicalities and challenges associated with the use of wearable sensors for quantification of fall risk in older people. [2021]

13. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

High Specificity of Single Inertial Sensor-Supplemented Timed Up and Go Test for Assessing Fall Risk in Elderly Nursing Home Residents. [2022]