GaitSmart

GaitSmart is a portable motion-sensor, gait analysis technology developed by Dynamic Metrics. A persons gait is defined as their walking pattern, and gait analysis is a systematic way of evaluating a normal vs abnormal gait, with the goal of improving someone’s walking patterns, which enhanced can improve physical health and prevent injury.

GaitSmart assessments provide data-driven rehabilitation guidance to analyse and  improve a person’s gait, indicate future potential issues and help identify the location of joint issues. The technology is quick and straight-forward for trained staff to use in various settings, offering patients a best-in-class opportunity to improve muscle strength, balance, and overall mobility.

During the assessment, sensors are attached to the patient, who then performs a short walking test, over 20 meters with or without their usual walking aid.

Based on its analysis, GaitSmart recommends a personalised plan of six exercises tailored to each patient’s specific walking pattern deficits. Patients are invited to return at set intervals – week 1, 4, 8, and 12 – to measure progress and modify their rehabilitation exercise plan as required.

Keeping patients moving for longer

An abnormal walking pattern (gait) is one of the most prevalent and sensitive predictors of falls, cognitive decline, and overall quality of life for older adults (1).

Like many areas of the country, Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes (BLMK) has seen significant growth in its population of older people over the last 10 years, a trend that is expected to continue (2).

GaitSmart provides an innovative way to help people understand gait impairment and how it can be corrected. The intervention provides an opportunity to mitigate some of the demand on health and social care that will result from an aging population and associated falls.

Falls are estimated to cost the NHS more than £2.3 billion per year. Yet, falls and fractures in older people are often preventable and reducing the incidence of them is important for maintaining health, wellbeing and independence for older people (3) (4).

Alongside colleagues in the BLMK Integrated Care System (ICS) Health Innovation East project managed the implementation of a 12-month pilot of GaitSmart in four separate healthcare settings in BLMK.

The pilots were designed to provide, or enhance existing, strength and balance interventions with the aim of real-world impact –  heightening patient empowerment, improving gait outcomes, reducing falls and increasing the intervention options available to patients. ​

Health Innovation East has also supported GaitSmart with;

• Making connections : Helping to connect the innovation with the right people to help the pilot take flight.
• Securing funding: Provided funding towards and lead the GaitSmart pilot , to demonstrate the real-world impact of the technology.
• Implementation: Identifying assessing and selecting pilot sites’ – Standard operating procedures. Staff training and implementation packs.
• Meeting governance and regulatory requirements: Contributing towards GaitSmart securing NICE guidance for gait and mobility . Health Innovation East have also advised closely on the organisation’s Data governance design and policies.

In addition, Health Innovation East worked alongside Gaitsmart and BLMK teams to deliver an end-to end evaluation of the intervention across the four healthcare sites. This process, led by our real-world evaluation team, included patient experience survey as well as collecting healthcare staff feedback via a survey.

Diana Hodgins, CEO and co-founder, GaitSmart:

“Having people believe in what we do and understand why we exist has been instrumental in bringing GaitSmart to patients in need. I am delighted that the data from the evaluation is demonstrating the real-world benefits of GaitSmart. We hope to see the technology supporting more patients, across more health and care systems, to improve their mobility and increase their confidence.”

Three of the original four pilot sites will continue to use GaitSmart over the next 12 months, gathering more data.

Impact of GaitSmart

Freeing up time: GaitSmart testing has been designed to be performed by healthcare assistants, rather than physiotherapist, and since the test only takes 10 minutes to complete, GaitSmart is freeing up appointments. It is also being delivered in the community, which could help prevent patients needing to see their healthcare provider for their musculoskeletal issues.

Preventing falls: GaitSmart aims to keep elderly patients active by addressing their mobility problems and encouraging them to be active. This may help to reduce fall risk and support elderly patients to remain independent for as long as possible potentially reducing strain on other services.

Treatment to prevention: A Medtech innovation briefing on GaitSmart was published by NICE in Feb 2022, GaitSmart assessment for people with gait and mobility issues. GaitSmart was recognised as innovative compared with standard care with the potential for people to take a more active approach in their rehabilitation and to measure their own progress over time. GaitSmart has the potential to be used in a wide range of settings where deficiencies in gait impact on patient experience and outcomes.

References:

(1): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00508-016-1096-4

(2): https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/censuspopulationchange/E06000042/

(3) NICE – National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2023). Falls in older people: assessing risk and prevention. [Online]. nice.org.uk. Last Updated: 12 June 2023. Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg161/chapter/introduction [Accessed 2 April 2025].

(4) Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. (2022). Falls: applying All Our Health. [Online]. www.gov.uk. Last Updated: 25 February 2022. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/falls-applying-all-our-health/falls-applying-all-our-heal [Accessed 2 April 2025].