Patent Law Practice Center

Researcher Patents Statistical Model for Predicting Falling in Humans

Each year, one in every three adults age 65 and older falls, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These falls can cause moderate to severe injuries, such as hip fractures and head traumas, and can increase the risk of early death, according to the CDC. Annually, 40,000 individuals who are over 65 years of age visit emergency departments with traumatic brain injuries suffered as a result of a fall, of which 16,000 of these individual are hospitalized and 4,000 of these individuals die. Indeed, falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries among older adults, resulting in approximately $30 billion in direct medical costs per year.

Enter Patrick Hardigan, Ph.D., Executive Director for Health Professions Division Research at Nova Southeastern University (NSU). Dr. Hardigan set out to develop a model useful for predicting the effect that medication and dosage has on injurious falling. He recently received U.S. Patent No. 8,521,490, titled Statistical model for predicting falling in humans.

“Our goal is to develop a multidisciplinary fall prevention program and ultimately reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries due to falls,” said Hardigan.

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