Computerized Adaptive Testing System For Real-Time Multidimensional Fatigability Assessment

SUMMARY

A computerized adaptive test using a bifactor model on tablet devices to measure fatigue relative to activity delivering personalized, real-time insights by integrating with electronic health records, helping clinicians make more informed care decisions.

The Unmet Need: Multidimensional evaluation tools that accurately assess fatigue and activity in hospitalized older adults without requiring significant resources or mobility

• The field of healthcare assessment, particularly for hospitalized older adults, has long grappled with quantifying complex symptoms such as fatigue and its interplay with activity levels. Accurate measurement is critical for identifying patients at risk of functional decline and for guiding clinical decisions regarding mobility, therapy, and overall treatment planning. However, the traditional methodologies have not kept pace with the need for precision and efficiency, leaving significant gaps in the comprehensive evaluation of patient conditions.

• Current approaches to assessing fatigue are fraught with challenges. Standard performance tests demand extensive resources and are often impractical for patients with limited mobility, while self-reported scales suffer from narrow item banks and a unidimensional focus that fails to capture the multifaceted nature of fatigability. These limitations hinder the ability of clinicians to obtain an objective and dynamic understanding of a patient’s functional status, ultimately compromising the effectiveness of interventions and increasing the risk of adverse outcomes.

The Proposed Solution: A computerized adaptive testing system using a bifactor item response theory model to dynamically assess fatigability and physical activity dimensions in real-time

• The faculty inventor developed computerized adaptive testing paired with a bifactor item response theory model to accurately measure fatigability by dynamically adjusting assessment items based on previous responses. It simultaneously captures both fatigue and activity dimensions, enabling precise and efficient evaluations with a reduced item set. Implemented on tablet devices and operating over encrypted networks, the system is calibrated using extensive patient data and is designed for seamless integration with electronic health records, delivering real-time, multidimensional assessments to inform clinical decisions.

• The technology provides the ability to overcome limitations of traditional fatigability assessments, which often rely on resource-intensive performance tests or unidimensional self-reported scales. By utilizing adaptive testing strategies and a multidimensional statistical framework, the technology provides a more tailored evaluation that accounts for individual patient variability. Its streamlined, secure design not only enhances measurement precision but also facilitates clinical workflow, offering actionable insights that can improve patient care, optimize resource allocation, and ultimately support better health outcomes in complex hospital settings.

ADVANTAGES

ADVANTAGES

• Enables personalized, efficient, and precise fatigability assessment by dynamically adapting test items

• Simultaneously measures fatigue and activity using a multidimensional bifactor IRT model for accurate evaluation

• Integrates seamlessly with Electronic Health Records, providing real-time data to support clinical decision-making

• Improves risk assessment for hospitalized older adults, informing discharge planning, therapy, and intervention effectiveness

• Offers commercial potential with faster assessments, reduced patient burden, and broad applicability across diverse clinical populations

APPLICATIONS

• Adaptive fatigability measurement tool

• Clinical decision support system

• Seamless EHR integration solution

• Hospital risk assessment tool

• Mobile diagnostic testing platform