Falls as outcome in clinical trials

Falls have significant impact on affected individuals. They may lead to injuries including fractures, hospitalization, decrase in mobility, and loss of independence. Therefore, falls constitute a relevant outcome parameter in clinical trials. However, especially elderly and frail patients may forget to report or neglect falls. The use of fall-detection technology in clinical trials may overcome this challenges. However, commercially-available fall-detection technologies are designed as personal emergency response systems rather than as measurement tools to assess the effects of an intervention. Hence, before adopting a commercially-availablefall-detection technology in a clinical trial one has to assess its suitability for such application.