Instrumented Timed Up and Go Test (iTUG)—More Than Assessing Time to Predict Falls: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The Timed Up and Go (TUG) test is a widely used tool for assessing the risk of falls in older adults. However, to increase the test’s predictive value, the instrumented Timed Up and Go (iTUG) test has been developed, incorporating different technological approaches. This systematic review aims to explore the evidence of the technological proposal for the segmentation and analysis of iTUG in elderlies with or without pathologies. A search was conducted in five major databases, following PRISMA guidelines. The review included 40 studies that met the eligibility criteria. The most used technology was inertial sensors (75% of the studies), with healthy elderlies (35%) and elderlies with Parkinson’s disease (32.5%) being the most analyzed participants. In total, 97.5% of the studies applied automatic segmentation using rule-based algorithms. The iTUG test offers an economical and accessible alternative to increase the predictive value of TUG, identifying different variables, and can be used in clinical, community, and home settings.

Effectiveness of a sensorimotor exercise program on proprioception, balance, muscle strength, functional mobility and risk of falls in older people

“…Regarding functionality, our findings are in agreement with the research of Carvalho et al (2015) which reported significant differences for the TUG test, with worse results in elderly women with fall history. This is a widely used tool to assess the functional conditions of elderly people as risk of falls ( Ortega-Bastidas et al, 2023 ). However, results for the SPPB test battery were not significantly different between groups.…”

“TiC-TUG”: technology in clinical practice using the instrumented timed up and go test—a scoping review

“…To identify potential articles, the electronic databases PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and IEEE Xplore were searched on July 6, 2022. Reference lists of three relevant reviews on the iTUG [ 13 – 15 ] and of included articles were searched.…”

“…Previous reviews on the iTUG focused on the different technologies utilized for TUG instrumentation [ 13 ], feasibility of the iTUG in mobile devices [ 14 ], and technological proposals in studies on fall risk analysis [ 15 ]. Two major approaches have matured to objectively and accurately capture a subject’s gait pattern: wearable inertial measurement units (IMUs) and non-portable systems such as camera-based optical motion capturing [ 13 ].…”

“…There is consensus that benefits of the iTUG compared to the traditional stopwatch version include additional data on performance parameters, objective measurement, automated data collection and processing that can facilitate long-term analysis. In addition, the iTUG has the potential to be self-administered in the home environment of older people [ 13 – 15 ]. However, there are certain barriers to the implementation of instrumented tests, such as cost for buying medically certified products, and additional training of assessment staff [ 13 ].…”

SISTINE 3.0: Wearable System for Remote Functional Assessment of Phlebopathics

“…To the best of our knowledge [3], an iTUG evaluation on people with phlebopathy is still missing. Therefore, the aim of this study is to test the specificity of iTUG subphases in detecting differences between phlebopathic patients and a healthy control group using SISTINE 3.0.…”