Abstract (300 words maximum)
According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, there are 3 to 5 fall incidents for 1000 bed days on average. Moreover, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports, “Each year about $50 billion is spent on medical costs related to non-fatal fall injuries and $754 million is spent related to fatal falls”. The inpatient fall expenses for Georgia were approximately $850,000,000-1,349,000,000. Kennestone Hospital is interested in preventing falls, and it leads to better outcomes. There are several interventions that found to be effective in fall prevention. First, there are universal fall precautions which include environment checking, patient education, and scheduled rounding protocols. The second most common method is standardized assessment of fall risk, which is provided during admission of inpatient care. Highly effective SMART (self-monitoring, analysis, and reporting technologies) technologies are associated with positive outcomes in fall prevention in hospitals. This includes more than 60 variations including a bed signal system, digital applications, range of motion sensors, handful artificial technologies, etc. The bed signal system is more efficient and financially accessible method for fall prevention. They can prevent 17.5%, and by using holistic approach and fall risk assessment kit the number can be 28.1%. A secondary study will be conducted based on a retrospective group of patients who had a bed signal system in an acute care unit for last the 5 years (2017-2022). It will count the number of falls per 1000 bed days. The outcome will be compared with patients who do not have bed signal systems. Financial efficiency will be evaluated based on an analysis of financial expenses on electronic signal bed systems cost and their service time. The cost will be compared to health care expenses for falls, and calculation will involve, fees for inpatient care, home care, health care professionals, rehabilitation, medications, devices, and insurance processing for fall inquiries.
Keywords: fall risk, acute care, electronic signal, expenses
Academic department under which the project should be listed
WCHHS - Nursing
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Dr. Christie Emerson
ELECTRONIC SIGNAL SYSTEM USER OUTCOMES IN FALL RISK
According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, there are 3 to 5 fall incidents for 1000 bed days on average. Moreover, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports, “Each year about $50 billion is spent on medical costs related to non-fatal fall injuries and $754 million is spent related to fatal falls”. The inpatient fall expenses for Georgia were approximately $850,000,000-1,349,000,000. Kennestone Hospital is interested in preventing falls, and it leads to better outcomes. There are several interventions that found to be effective in fall prevention. First, there are universal fall precautions which include environment checking, patient education, and scheduled rounding protocols. The second most common method is standardized assessment of fall risk, which is provided during admission of inpatient care. Highly effective SMART (self-monitoring, analysis, and reporting technologies) technologies are associated with positive outcomes in fall prevention in hospitals. This includes more than 60 variations including a bed signal system, digital applications, range of motion sensors, handful artificial technologies, etc. The bed signal system is more efficient and financially accessible method for fall prevention. They can prevent 17.5%, and by using holistic approach and fall risk assessment kit the number can be 28.1%. A secondary study will be conducted based on a retrospective group of patients who had a bed signal system in an acute care unit for last the 5 years (2017-2022). It will count the number of falls per 1000 bed days. The outcome will be compared with patients who do not have bed signal systems. Financial efficiency will be evaluated based on an analysis of financial expenses on electronic signal bed systems cost and their service time. The cost will be compared to health care expenses for falls, and calculation will involve, fees for inpatient care, home care, health care professionals, rehabilitation, medications, devices, and insurance processing for fall inquiries.
Keywords: fall risk, acute care, electronic signal, expenses