Planning for university balance research project well underway
An esteemed team of allied health researchers from the College of Healthcare Sciences at James Cook University (JCU) in Townsville has established their methodology protocols for a body of research involving the Balance Mat.
The team will comprise two researchers from the discipline of Physiotherapy and two from the discipline of Sport and Exercise Science. They are: chief investigator Dr Carol Flavell, Senior Lecturer Physiotherapy and Physiotherapy Honours program coordinator; co-investigator Professor Anthony Leicht, Academic Head of Sport and Exercise Science; co-investigator Dr Moira Smith, Senior Lecturer Physiotherapy; and co-investigator Dr Kenji Doma, Senior Lecturer Sport and Exercise Science.
Part of the research led by Balance Metrix Innovation Partner Dr Carol Flavell and team will be to place the Balance Mat on top of a gold standard force plate and measure study participants’ balance on the two devices simultaneously. Dr Flavell is pictured above with co-investigators Professor Anthony Leicht and Dr Moira Smith with the Balance Mat and force plate.
According to Dr Flavell, the study will be part of “a whole package of research” that will assess the merits of the Balance Mat compared to clinical assessments currently used in practice and a gold standard force plate.
“As with a lot of the clinical tests we do,” she said, “standardisation between comparators is a huge issue. For this research we will compare a gold standard measure of balance variables to the Balance Mat with data captured at exactly the same rate of 40 hertz – so that the two technologies are truly comparable.”
Use of the Balance Mat is happening under a Balance Metrix Innovation Partnership with Dr Flavell and her team. The package of research will involve concurrent validity studies initially and then eventually a larger project of interventional trials.
Results of the current research will be both quantitative and qualitative in terms of looking at how reliable, valid and acceptable the Balance Mat is in people of different falls risk – high, low and moderate.
Dr Flavell stated, “Our research will look at how the Balance Mat compares to what we currently do as clinicians – that is, we do a battery of tests and we observe the patient, whereas with the mat we have the ability to objectively score their balance. It’s an objective measure that’s quantifiable. We hypothesise that this quantitative measure is something that will standardise and augment our current clinical tests.”
She explained the research methodology this way: “What we’ll do is choose a group of about 100 people, older to begin with, over 65. We’ll assess their falls risk factor and their level of balance compromise using current clinical assessment techniques– these usually include scoring based on clinician observation. We’ll replicate comparable clinical assessment techniques concurrently using the Balance Mat placed on top of the force plate and compare scores across all three conditions.”
“Dr Smith has developed an acceptability questionnaire to conduct the qualitative arm of the study which will assess the client acceptability of the Balance Mat. Initially we’re going to be looking at an older population in reference to the acceptability of using the Balance Mat in that population. There’s no point in using a new technology if the client doesn’t like it because they won’t perform at their best. As health professionals, client acceptability is as important as the validity of any technology – we need to show that as well as being accurate in clinical practice, it is also client friendly. Basically do clients like it?”
Now that the research team and project methodology have been established, the next step will be ethical approval. After that, data collection will run over about six months and then analysis of the results can begin. All in all, it will probably be about 18 months before a scientific paper can be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed rehabilitation journal with a focus on older people.
“I love working with these new technologies. It’s one of the particular niches of my research and I really enjoy it,” Dr Flavell said.
READ ALL MY BLOG POSTS:
Machine learning research aims to facilitate earlier falls intervention
Ian Bergman2024-09-18T11:21:29+10:0010/09/2024|
Planning for university balance research project well underway
Ian Bergman2024-09-10T16:16:20+10:0017/07/2024|
Meeting old friends and new at ESSA Research to Practice event
Ian Bergman2024-05-20T11:48:21+10:0018/05/2024|
Keeping the Balance Mat dream (& me) alive
Ian Bergman2024-06-03T12:48:34+10:0030/04/2024|
Making a difference for Parkinson’s patients
Ian Bergman2024-05-20T11:50:06+10:0024/04/2024|
Research into balance and sensory health
Ian Bergman2024-05-20T11:47:04+10:0008/03/2024|
Planning for university balance research project well underway
An esteemed team of allied health researchers from the College of Healthcare Sciences at James Cook University (JCU) in Townsville has established their methodology protocols for a body of research involving the Balance Mat.
The team will comprise two researchers from the discipline of Physiotherapy and two from the discipline of Sport and Exercise Science. They are: chief investigator Dr Carol Flavell, Senior Lecturer Physiotherapy and Physiotherapy Honours program coordinator; co-investigator Professor Anthony Leicht, Academic Head of Sport and Exercise Science; co-investigator Dr Moira Smith, Senior Lecturer Physiotherapy; and co-investigator Dr Kenji Doma, Senior Lecturer Sport and Exercise Science.
Part of the research led by Balance Metrix Innovation Partner Dr Carol Flavell and team will be to place the Balance Mat on top of a gold standard force plate and measure study participants’ balance on the two devices simultaneously. Dr Flavell is pictured above with co-investigators Professor Anthony Leicht and Dr Moira Smith with the Balance Mat and force plate.
According to Dr Flavell, the study will be part of “a whole package of research” that will assess the merits of the Balance Mat compared to clinical assessments currently used in practice and a gold standard force plate.
“As with a lot of the clinical tests we do,” she said, “standardisation between comparators is a huge issue. For this research we will compare a gold standard measure of balance variables to the Balance Mat with data captured at exactly the same rate of 40 hertz – so that the two technologies are truly comparable.”
Use of the Balance Mat is happening under a Balance Metrix Innovation Partnership with Dr Flavell and her team. The package of research will involve concurrent validity studies initially and then eventually a larger project of interventional trials.
Results of the current research will be both quantitative and qualitative in terms of looking at how reliable, valid and acceptable the Balance Mat is in people of different falls risk – high, low and moderate.
Dr Flavell stated, “Our research will look at how the Balance Mat compares to what we currently do as clinicians – that is, we do a battery of tests and we observe the patient, whereas with the mat we have the ability to objectively score their balance. It’s an objective measure that’s quantifiable. We hypothesise that this quantitative measure is something that will standardise and augment our current clinical tests.”
She explained the research methodology this way: “What we’ll do is choose a group of about 100 people, older to begin with, over 65. We’ll assess their falls risk factor and their level of balance compromise using current clinical assessment techniques– these usually include scoring based on clinician observation. We’ll replicate comparable clinical assessment techniques concurrently using the Balance Mat placed on top of the force plate and compare scores across all three conditions.”
“Dr Smith has developed an acceptability questionnaire to conduct the qualitative arm of the study which will assess the client acceptability of the Balance Mat. Initially we’re going to be looking at an older population in reference to the acceptability of using the Balance Mat in that population. There’s no point in using a new technology if the client doesn’t like it because they won’t perform at their best. As health professionals, client acceptability is as important as the validity of any technology – we need to show that as well as being accurate in clinical practice, it is also client friendly. Basically do clients like it?”
Now that the research team and project methodology have been established, the next step will be ethical approval. After that, data collection will run over about six months and then analysis of the results can begin. All in all, it will probably be about 18 months before a scientific paper can be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed rehabilitation journal with a focus on older people.
“I love working with these new technologies. It’s one of the particular niches of my research and I really enjoy it,” Dr Flavell said.
READ ALL MY BLOG POSTS:
Machine learning research aims to facilitate earlier falls intervention
Ian Bergman2024-09-18T11:21:29+10:0010/09/2024|0 Comments
Having the ability to predict falls is the holy grail for balance researchers. A machine learning project being undertaken by Balance Mat Pty Ltd electronics engineer Abishek Shrestha is attempting to achieve that lofty ...
Planning for university balance research project well underway
Ian Bergman2024-09-10T16:16:20+10:0017/07/2024|0 Comments
An esteemed team of allied health researchers from the College of Healthcare Sciences at James Cook University (JCU) in Townsville has established their methodology protocols for a body of research involving the Balance Mat. ...
Meeting old friends and new at ESSA Research to Practice event
Ian Bergman2024-05-20T11:48:21+10:0018/05/2024|0 Comments
I was humbled by the support my Balance Mat invention and I received at the Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA) Research to Practice event held in Sydney from 2 to 4 May 2024. ...
Keeping the Balance Mat dream (& me) alive
Ian Bergman2024-06-03T12:48:34+10:0030/04/2024|0 Comments
This long-form story is intended to dispel any confusion about the respective roles of Balance Metrix and Balance Mat Pty Ltd personnel. In light of an announcement on LinkedIn by my fellow board member ...
Making a difference for Parkinson’s patients
Ian Bergman2024-05-20T11:50:06+10:0024/04/2024|0 Comments
Barbara Cullinan – a physiotherapist with 23 years of experience – is Balance Metrix’s newest innovation partner. Barbs is using the Neurometric Balance Mat to help people living with Parkinson’s disease at The Park ...
Research into balance and sensory health
Ian Bergman2024-05-20T11:47:04+10:0008/03/2024|0 Comments
A team of leading ophthalmology researchers who have been using the Neurometric Balance Mat in Singapore for the past nine months have provided me with this brief research update. Known as the PopulatION HEalth and Age-Related ...