Potential of electronic devices for detection of health problems in older adults at home: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE:The aim of this review was to evaluate the overall diagnostic performance of e-devices for detection of health problems in older adults at home. METHODS:A systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA-DTA guidelines. RESULTS:31 studies were included with 24 studies included in meta-analysis. The included studies were divided into four categories according to the signals detected: physical activity (PA), vital signs (VS), electrocardiography (ECG) and other. The meta-analysis showed the pooled estimates of sensitivity and specificity were 0.94 and 0.98 respectively in the 'VS' group. The pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.97 and 0.98 respectively in the 'ECG' group. CONCLUSIONS:All kinds of e-devices perform well in diagnosing the common health problems. While ECG-based health problems detection system is more reliable than VS-based ones. For sole signal detection system has limitation in diagnosing specific health problems, more researches should focus on developing new systems combined of multiple signals.