Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40306911›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2025

Assessing the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a smart home emergency call system: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial in Germany.

Hanna Rehse, Lena Hasemann, Kristina Ludwig, Svenja Elkenkamp, Johanna Kampmann, Thomas Nebling, Ulrich Thiem, Wolfgang Greiner, INES study group

Abstract readClinical Trial Protocol
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Hanna RehseSchool of Public Health, AG 5-Department of Health Economics and Health Care Management, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany hanna.rehse@uni-bielefeld.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0007-5729-1514
Lena HasemannSchool of Public Health, AG 5-Department of Health Economics and Health Care Management, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
Kristina LudwigSchool of Public Health, AG 5-Department of Health Economics and Health Care Management, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
Svenja ElkenkampSchool of Public Health, AG 5-Department of Health Economics and Health Care Management, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
Johanna KampmannTechniker Krankenkasse, Hamburg, Germany.
Thomas NeblingTechniker Krankenkasse, Hamburg, Germany.
Ulrich ThiemDepartment of Geriatrics, Albertinen-Haus, Hamburg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2181-6872
Wolfgang GreinerSchool of Public Health, AG 5-Department of Health Economics and Health Care Management, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
INES study group

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionFalls can lead to serious health-related consequences in the older population. If an emergency occurs within the home environment of an older person living alone, the initiation of emergency care can be delayed, leading to even worse outcomes for this population. Smart home emergency call systems (HECSs) can detect falls and automatically trigger an emergency alarm, potentially reducing time to emergency care and improving outcomes. The INES (Intelligentes NotfallErkennungsSystem-smart emergency detection system) study is a prospective randomised controlled trial conducted in three German federal states that aims to investigate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a smart HECS. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Following a telephone interview, individuals aged 70 years or older, living alone, at risk of falling and willing to participate are included in the study. Participants are assigned to one of two groups depending on their previous use of a HECS. Based on the sample size calculation, the study aims to recruit n=498 participants already using a standard HECS (group A) and n=1378 participants who have not used a HECS before (group B). Within both groups, participants are randomised into the intervention arm (IA) and control arm (CA). The IA receives a smart HECS during the 21-month follow-up period. In addition to a standard HECS with a base station and a wearable radio transmitter, the smart HECS includes sensors that can detect falls and automatically trigger an alarm. The primary outcome assessed will be the days spent in the hospital after an emergency admission. Secondary outcomes include the utilisation of healthcare services and their total costs, progression of care dependency, fear of falling (Falls Efficacy Scale-International), health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-5L) and well-being (ICEpop CAPability measure for Older people). ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The design and conceptualisation of the INES study were approved by the ethics committee of the Hamburg Medical Association on 26 June 2023 (2023-101032-BO-ff). Results of the INES study will be published in peer-reviewed articles. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien, German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00031408. Registered on 28 June 2023.

Indexed as

Accidental FallsEmergency Medical ServicesHouse CallsAgedAged, 80 and overCost-Benefit AnalysisFemaleGermanyHumansMaleProspective StudiesRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicAgedGERIATRIC MEDICINEHEALTH ECONOMICSHealth Services for the AgedRandomized Controlled Trial

Identifiers

PMID40306911
PMCPMC12049938

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.