Tallaght University Hospital’s world-class strides towards health detection
By Mary Dennehy
DID you know that how we walk is an indicator of overall wellness?
Tallaght University Hospital (TUH) has started using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology which – the first of its type in the world – measures a patient’s gait.
A clinician at TUH using GaitKeeper to measure a patient’s gait at the local hospital
According to TUH, how we walk (termed gait) is an indicator of overall wellness, providing clinicians with information on a patient’s physical, cognitive, and psychological wellness.
TUH believes that developing accessible technology, which easily and accurately measures subtle changes in gait performance, will enhance the detection of declining health and the timely delivery of care to older people.
Until now, equipment to measure gait has been expensive, and its use requiring a lot of training and space.
This has resulted in limited accessibility to gait analysis in clinical settings, according to TUH.
However, accessible technology has now been placed in the hands of clinicians following the launch of GaitKeeper, a new AI digital solution developed by Digital Gait Labs in partnership with TUH.
The technology requires minimal space and can be used by anyone – and on a mobile phone.
Prof. Sean Kennelly, Consultant Geriatrician at TUH
The first technology of its type in the world, the research partnership, which was funded by Enterprise Ireland, has been in development for the past two years.
The technology uses novel Artificial Intelligence computer vision algorithms to quantify important features of a person’s walk.
“We do this using a single video recorded on a mobile phone, making it portable, and very easy to use in a variety of hands,” Dr Aidan Boran, Founder and CEO Digital Gait Labs Ltd, said.
The portability of the technology means it can be used in a variety of healthcare settings such as a hospital ward, nursing home, GP clinic or in a person’s home.
The clinical application of the technology has been directed by Professor Sean Kennelly, Consultant Geriatrician at TUH.
“This technology is a game-changer for clinicians as to how we can monitor and gauge how well and fast our patients can walk,” Prof Kennelly said.
“This is a key indicator of a person’s wellness, and the technology will be easy to use in any care setting.
“This technology effectively offers us a digital biomarker of a patient’s wellness.”
Professor Des O’Neill, Consultant Geriatrician at TUH believes that GaitKeeper is “probably one of the most important projects undertaken” by Geriatric Medicine at Tallaght.
“Thankfully, most of us are living not only longer, but also fitter and healthier,” Prof O’Neill said.
“But inevitably, among that group, we begin to see problems around walking, and very often these problems may be intricately linked with how the brain is working in other areas such as memory or swallowing.
“This is probably one of the most important projects we have undertaken here in the Department of Geriatric Medicine in TUH.”
The next stage of the collaboration between TUH and DGL will involve using the technology in a variety of settings to ‘measure and maximise’ its clinical utility.
These further studies are due to take place in the second half of 2021.
TUH is caring for a growing and aging population, with the local hospital introducing in recent years a number of supports, projects and long-term plans to respond to the changing needs of its catchment area.
Speaking following the launch of GaitKeeper, TUH CEO Lucy Nugent said: “Research and Innovation lies at the heart of Tallaght University Hospital’s drive to deliver improved patient care and enhance the health and wellbeing of our population.
“The hospital is delighted to study, analyse and implement this technology on campus and support the next stage of its development which contributes to our goal of becoming a national centre for health research and innovation for technology.”
A video on the new GaitKeeper technology is available to watch at www.tuh.ie (News section)
