Fall Prevention System
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In 2015 the cost of fatal and non-fatal falls in the US was approximately $50 billion – and since falls disproportionally impact older adults, it is a particularly important issue for VA to address.
As a result, we have been developing innovative ways to prevent falls and their devastating consequences. The National Center for Collaborative Healthcare Innovation (NCCHI) is collaborating with a medical company on an exciting project that utilizes their smart integrated sock sensor system to alert nurses when a fall-risk patient attempts to get out of bed.
Origin:
January 2020, Palo Alto VA Medical Center (Palo Alto, California)
Adoptions:
4 successful, 4 in-progress
Partners:
Diffusion of Excellence, VHA Innovators Network
Recent Updates
Overview
The problem
Prevention of falls in the ho ... Falls among hospital inpatients are common, generally ranging from 2.3 to 7 falls per 1,000 patient-days.1-4 Approximately 30% of inpatient falls result in injury, with 4% to 6% resulting in serious injury.5, 6 These serious fall-related injuries can include fractures, subdural hematomas, excessive bleeding, and even death.
Prevention of falls in the hospital setting is therefore an important patient safety and public health issue. See more
Links
- World Health Organization description of falls as the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths worldwide. WHO Falls Fact Sheet
- Lessons From the Field Inpatient Falls: Lessons From the Field
- The use of a sensor-enabled wearable SmartSock fall prevention system resulted in a clinically meaningful and statistically significant decrease in falls in the acute care setting. Assessment of a wearable fall prevention system at a veterans health administration hospital
The solution
Among these technologies, NCCHI is collaborating with a medical company on an exciting project that utilizes its smart integrated sock sensor sy ... NCCHI is working to assess, integrate, and quantify novel fall prevention technology. Specifically, a system validated for our Veteran population, VA Infrastructure, as well as clinical and operational workflow.
Among these technologies, NCCHI is collaborating with a medical company on an exciting project that utilizes its smart integrated sock sensor system to alert nurses when a fall-risk patient attempts to get out of bed. The design is optimized for efficient clinical response, and nurses are empowered to be in the right place at the right time. See more
Files
- FAQs from sites interested in practice adoption Practice FAQs
Links
- Palarum PuP smart sock fall prevention system. Palarum PuP
The results
Links
- The use of a sensor-enabled wearable SmartSock fall prevention system resulted in a clinically meaningful and statistically significant decrease in falls in the acute care setting. Assessment of a wearable fall prevention system at a veterans health administration hospital
Metrics
- There were 20.7 falls per 1000 ward days of care (WDOC) for those not using the SmartSocks compared to 9.2 falls per 1000 WDOC for patients using the SmartSocks. This represents a reduction of falls by more than half.
Diffusion tracker
Does not include Clinical Resource Hubs (CRH)
Multimedia
Images
Above:
Plot of the negative binomial (NB) regression model with fitted lines of the association between the ward hours of care and expected fall count, when wearing the SmartSock (teal) and not wearing the SmartSock (red). The accompanying shaded area represents the confidence intervals for each group.
Above:
Smart badge with screen display identifying room number location of the alert.
Above:
The PuP ® SmartSock is viewed from below (a) and from the side (b). From below, the three integrated pressure sensors are identified as black squares, the raised nonskid treads are tan, and the Inertial Measurement Unit is attached to the SmartSock above the lateral aspect of the ankle (a).
Implementation
Timeline
-
45 Days
Contracting - Includes the following paperwork to be submitted into FORCE as part of the contract package. Once package in submitted into FORCE, a minimum of 45 days is required for contract to be awarded.(Required contracting paperwork) Market research, Performance Work Statement (PWS) and/or Statement of Work (SOW), PD - Product Description, VA6500.6 App A, Salient characteristics, Contract bid Questionnaire, CGE, SEWP Quote, 2237 cut for funding, BTT\ARM proof of approval, VA 6500 Security checklist -
45 days
Survey of wards requiring fall prevention system and installation.Once surveyed and all beds are identified, vendor will required 2 weeks for equipment order and another 2 weeks for equipment installation. -
30 days
Approximately 1 month of on boarding staff and training to use the fall prevention system.
Departments
- Information technology
- Biomed
- Nursing services
Core Resources
| Resource type | Resource description |
|---|---|
PEOPLE |
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Contact
Comment
Comments and replies are disabled for retired innovations and non-VA users.
Email VHAPALNCCHI@va.gov with questions about this innovation.
About
Origin story
Original team
Dr. Thomas Osborne
Director for NCCHI
Paola Suarez, MPH
Data Scientist
David Arreola, MCSE
Technology Integration Analyst
Ilya Vrublevskiy, PMP
Project Manager
Kalyn Essex, MPA
Innovation Specialist
Zach Veigulis, MS
Data Scientist
Thanks to Palo Alto for sharing this! We are in the process of implementing this (waiting on arrival) and appreciate the great support we received from the Palo Alto team in doing so,