Barron Associates awarded grant to research and develop Patient/Resident Mobility Tracker (PREEMPT)

Barron Associates has been awarded a grant by the National Institutes of Health to research and develop a method and system to non-intrusively record patient activity levels in acute care and long term care settings.  Recognizing a link between inactivity and adverse outcomes, the goal is to be able to inexpensively monitor and assure adequate levels of therapeutic mobilization on an hourly basis. The Patient/Resident Mobility Tracker (PREEMPT) will measure (in real time) and categorize each hour for the amount of (1) sedentary time; (2) upright time; and (3) walking time; along with (4) step count; (5) step cadence; (6) gait speed (the sixth vital sign); and (7) the number of sit-to-stand transitions.  In addition to providing data for improving patient outcomes and resident quality of life, PREEMPT can monitor and alert for emerging safety risks such as transitioning from sitting in a chair to standing.