A proposal of photography-based quantitative evaluation of layed posture

Abstract

At present, there is no reference in the health literature on the objective and practical criteria to be used in the prescription and adaptation of mattresses. Objective: to propose a quantitative evaluation method for the lying posture based on digital photography and to validate it. Methods: Twenty-five normal volunteers were evaluated. They received adhesive markers and were placed in a lying position - dorsal and lateral decubitus - on two mattresses of varying densities. Digital photographs were taken and analyzed by a computer program. Two observers obtained the inclinations values of the body segments. These values were then compared with the values supplied by the gold standard. Results: Analysis of the data showed that validity, intra-observer reproductibility, inter-observer reproductibility and responsiveness of the proposed method were statistically significant, with excellent compatibility values (above 0,90). There were, however, two exceptions in very specific situations, which did not invalidate the method as a whole. Conclusions: the proposed method has the appropriate methodological characteristics, which enable it to be used clinically as well as in research. Relevance: the system described can be used in future research on the alignment of the lying position so as to best orient groups of individuals as to which type of mattress is the most adequate.