Artificial Intelligence–Powered Digital Health Platform and Wearable Devices Improve Outcomes for Older Adults in Assisted Living Communities: Pilot Intervention Study

Abstract

Background Wearables and artificial intelligence (AI)–powered digital health platforms that utilize machine learning algorithms can autonomously measure a senior’s change in activity and behavior and may be useful tools for proactive interventions that target modifiable risk factors. Objective The goal of this study was to analyze how a wearable device and AI-powered digital health platform could provide improved health outcomes for older adults in assisted living communities. Methods Data from 490 residents from six assisted living communities were analyzed retrospectively over 24 months. The intervention group (+CP) consisted of 3 communities that utilized CarePredict (n=256), and the control group (–CP) consisted of 3 communities (n=234) that did not utilize CarePredict. The following outcomes were measured and compared to baseline: hospitalization rate, fall rate, length of stay (LOS), and staff response time. Results The residents of the +CP and –CP communities exhibit no statistical difference in age (P=.64), sex (P=.63), and staff service hours per resident (P=.94). The data show that the +CP communities exhibited a 39% lower hospitalization rate (P=.02), a 69% lower fall rate (P=.01), and a 67% greater length of stay (P=.03) than the –CP communities. The staff alert acknowledgment and reach resident times also improved in the +CP communities by 37% (P=.02) and 40% (P=.02), respectively. Conclusions The AI-powered digital health platform provides the community staff with actionable information regarding each resident’s activities and behavior, which can be used to identify older adults that are at an increased risk for a health decline. Staff can use this data to intervene much earlier, protecting seniors from conditions that left untreated could result in hospitalization. In summary, the use of wearables and AI-powered digital health platform can contribute to improved health outcomes for seniors in assisted living communities. The accuracy of the system will be further validated in a larger trial.