In a large-scale demonstration of gait analysis AI, motivation to exercise increased in >70% of participating facilities. Promotion of digital technology led to a work time reduction of 500 minutes per month.
–A joint project with Fujisawa City to promote the use of digital tools in nursing care settings–
ExaWizards Inc. announces the results of a demonstration project conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a gait analysis AI service. The project was jointly executed by its subsidiary ExaHomeCare Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director & President: Satoshi Ishino; hereafter, “ExaHomeCare”), which develops and sells AI-enabled nursing care and welfare equipment-related services, and Fujisawa City in Kanagawa Prefecture. A questionnaire survey of participating facilities indicated that motivation to exercise improved in 73% of facilities, while a reduction of 500 minutes per month*1 of administrative work was achieved at some facilities through better staff coordination owing to the use of digital tools.
☑︎Motivation to exercise raised by sharing the objective results of gait analysis
The demonstration project in Fujisawa City took place between August 1 and October 31, 2022, at 15 facilities in the city, utilizing ExaHomeCare’s AI-enabled tool, CareWiz Toruto. The AI analyzes a person’s gait, converts the results into scores, and generates a report of the analysis results.
Results indicated that at 73% of the facilities that took part in the project and used CareWiz Toruto, an improvement was perceived in the quality of services provided. Particularly, respondents indicated their approval of such elements as the following:
(1) The indicators are objective and show longitudinal changes;
(2) The report includes exercise recommendations that can be used to suggest exercises to care recipients;
(3) Achieving higher scores can help motivate care recipients; and
(4) The report can be shared with family members, thereby alleviating anxiety.
The information in the report was also utilized to improve care recipients’ living environment. Some specific usages included reassessments of the walking paths in their homes and the identification and sharing of places requiring caution.
☑︎The use of digital data significantly reduced time spent on document preparation and phone calls
Staff shortages are another major challenge faced by nursing care facilities. This demonstration project also verified the efficacy of the system for staff handover.
E-mailing or providing other staff with videos and reports of CareWiz Toruto can enable staff to conduct handover more appropriately with less dependence on individual skills. Videos can also help convey situations that may be difficult to express verbally, providing effective support to less experienced staff.
In one facility where the policies of digital tool utilization were clearly defined and the activities were driven by a leader, a substantial work time savings of 500 minutes per month was achieved. Particularly, there was a reduction in time spent preparing documents and making phone calls to care managers and other personnel to convey the status of persons in their care.
“An example of how the promotion of digitalization has reduced workload by approximately 500 minutes per month”
☑︎Appropriate intervention and family cooperation may yield further benefits
While one of the facilities in this demonstration achieved a significant reduction in work hours, others did not. One background factor may be that many care managers and nursing care personnel either do not have or do not routinely use e-mail addresses for receiving reports and other information. The challenge lies in achieving complete, comprehensive information sharing using only digital means.
Out of those facilities that submitted questionnaire responses other than “perceived a positive effect,” two-thirds chose “cannot say either way.” Only 9% of the total respondents said that “did not perceive a positive effect.” This demonstration was of three months’ duration; a longer usage period may potentially lead to more benefits.
It is also possible that the provision of appropriate intervention based on the objective indicators obtained may lead to medium-term improvements in the status of care recipients. One facility responded that sharing the report with family members enabled them to understand their loved ones’ status and alleviate anxiety. It can also be hoped that encouragement from family members might be capitalized upon to promote gait improvement.
ExaWizards and ExaHomeCare will build on these results to further promote the efficient use of CareWiz Toruto in nursing care facilities as well as to provide more and better information, including suggestions for appropriate report-based interventions.
Demonstration project report (Fujisawa City website)
URL：https://www.city.fujisawa.kanagawa.jp/kaigo-j/projectk.html
*1: Work time measurement was done by self-reporting of demontration project start and end times. Facilities were interviewed after project completion. Facilities responded that, although not the sole contributing factor, adoption of the digital tool had had a positive impact on the above.
☑︎ What is CareWis Toruto [https://carewiz.ai/toruto/]
CareWiz Toruto is an AI-enabled physical function analysis application utilizing AI technologies and physical therapists’ knowledge, and enables users to easily visualize physical functions only by shooting a video with a smartphone. Easy-to-understand results of analysis presented on a communication sheet can be used for explanation to nursing-care users, their families, and care managers. In addition, the use of a video facilitates communication and information sharing among care staff members. CareWiz Toruto has been introduced in over 600 nursing facilities and municipal organizations and has facilitated easy and science-based gait analysis and other assessments in nursing care settings.
*“CareWiz” and “Toruto” are trademarks of ExaWizards.
【Corporate profile of ExaHomeCare Inc.】
Company name: ExaHomeCare Inc.
Headquarter: 21F Shiodome Sumitomo Bldg., Higashi Shimbashi 1-9-2, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Foundation: May 2021
Representative: Satoshi Ishino, Representative Director & President
Description of business: Development and sales of AI-enabled nursing care and welfare equipment-related services
【Company profile of ExaWizards, Inc.】
Company name: ExaWizards Corporation
Location: 21F, Shiodome Sumitomo Building, 1-9-2 Higashi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Representative: Makoto Haruta, President and Representative Director
Business: Industrial innovation and resolution of social issues through the development of services utilizing AI
URL: https://exawizards.com/
<Contact for public relations>
E-mail address of the Public Relations Division of ExaWizards Inc.: publicrelations@exwzd.com