Efficacy Study at Midwest Hospital Shows New Alert System Reduces False Alarm Events
LEBANON, Ohio, Feb. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A recently completed study on the accuracy of a revolutionary notification system utilized with Palarum's PUP™ new "smart" patient sock underscored the value it brought to the patient care setting. The study was used to evaluate how well The Palarum PUP (the Patient is UP) sock detected stand events among patients identified as high-risk for falls.
The 14-day study demonstrated the following:
- 120 stand events among patients wearing the sock
- 99.2% of the stand events were detected
- 1.7% were false alarms
- 0 patient falls occurred.
The issue of false alarm fatigue among hospital-based nurses was documented in a complimentary publication of The Joint Commission, "Medical device alarm safety in hospitals" on April 8, 2013. The Alert identified the following factors that contribute to nurse alarm fatigue:
- Perceived criticality of the patient.
- Signal duration.
- The rarity of the alarm device.
- Nurses' workload.
- Reliability of the alarm system.
The Alert noted that when faced with high workload levels or task complexity, nurses' alarm response and task performance may decrease. While signal duration is an important influence, workload, patient condition, and task complexity may lead to other reaction strategies. Adjusting alarms to the patient's actual needs ensures that alarms are valid and deliver an early warning to potential critical situations. The Palarum PUP sock monitors individual patient movement, thereby reducing the potential for alarm fatigue.
"I've seen a lot of patients and patient falls in hospitals," said Patrick Baker founder and CEO of Palarum and a former hospital chief nursing officer. "The average patient age at a hospital is 65. They're in an unfamiliar environment, on medications and not alert, with something acutely wrong. You're prone to have a fall. I created the PUP sock based on my experience as a nurse working with patients, knowing that falls are an issue for every hospital in the country."
The Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare® estimates that 30-35 percent of patients who fall will sustain an injury, extending a hospital stay by 6.3 days with an estimated average cost of $14,056 per fall injury. For a 200-bed hospital that's an added cost of $1 million from patient falls and for a 400-bed hospital the price tag increases to $1.9 million.
About Palarum:
Founded in 2016 by the former Chief Nursing Officer of a large community hospital in Lebanon, Ohio, Palarum created the revolutionary PUP™ smart sock that incorporates patented technologies woven into conductive fabric, enabling real-time monitoring to prevent patient falls and enhance physical therapy and rehabilitation. PUP, the most technologically advanced, nurse-centric, patient mobility system in healthcare: improves patient safety by greatly reducing injuries from falls; significantly reduces costs related to falls; decreases alarm fatigue through a smart notification system; and generates critical new data to enhance facility operations. PUP is designed for acute care hospitals, as well as facilities for rehabilitation, long-term care, and physical therapy. www.palarum.com.
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