Impact of Pressure Ulcers on Patient Care: Leaf Healthcare Releases White Paper on the Healthcare Burden of Pressure Ulcers

PLEASANTON, Calif., July 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaf Healthcare releases white paper on the tremendous burden that pressure ulcers place on the healthcare system.

Institution-acquired pressure ulcers are a leading threat to modern quality healthcare. Research by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality shows that pressure ulcers cost the nation's healthcare system more than $11 billion a year. The condition is both excruciatingly painful for patients and costly for providers since it is considered preventable and, therefore, does not qualify for reimbursement by government and other payers.

Recently released guidelines from the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP), recommend repositioning all patients at risk of pressure ulcers unless medically contraindicated. For the recommended seven steps clinicians might use to help prevent pressure ulcers, please see http://bit.ly/1ecLMGP

To prevent pressure ulcers, the currently accepted standard of care is to turn high-risk patients at least every 2 hours, day and night. In many healthcare facilities, such a turning schedule can be difficult to maintain. Studies have estimated that caregiver compliance with established patient turning protocols ranges from 30 percent to 66 percent, and thus a significant number of patients are not being turned appropriately.

"The Leaf Patient Monitoring System has been shown in hospitals across the country to improve both efficiency and patient care by monitoring and coordinating patient turning," said Barrett Larson, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Leaf Healthcare, Inc.

One example is El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, California. El Camino improved its turn compliance from a baseline of about 64 percent to 98 percent after the full system was deployed. El Camino started by conducting a six month-long, 138-patient study of the monitoring system. The study showed what El Camino executives view as "dramatic improvement in compliance with the hospital's patient turn protocols."

The Leaf Patient Monitoring System provides caregivers with information regarding a patient's position over time, thus enabling them to easily identify which patients are turning adequately on their own and which patients are in need of a caregiver-assisted turn. In such a manner, the system allows caregivers to focus their attention on those who need it most, while at the same time ensuring that no patient is neglected. Furthermore, the system can intelligently optimize and coordinate turning schedules for a large group of patients and help prioritize patient turning needs.

The Leaf system is comprised of a small, lightweight, wearable sensor that electronically monitors a patient's position and movements. Data collected by the sensor is communicated wirelessly to central monitoring stations or mobile devices so that caregivers can check on patient position and movement. The system provides alerts when necessary to ensure that all patients wearing a Leaf Sensor are repositioned according to their prescribed turning schedules to reduce incidence of pressure ulcers. The device has been cleared for sale by FDA 510(k).

About Leaf Healthcare, Inc.

Leaf Healthcare creates wireless patient monitoring solutions for health care providers seeking more efficient, cost effective ways to improve patient safety and clinical outcomes. The Leaf Patient Monitoring System wirelessly monitors a patient's position and movement and uses that data to automate and document the management of prescribed turn protocols for patients at risk for hospital acquired pressure ulcers. The company continually seeks to incorporate more patient monitoring features and capabilities into its technology platform, enabling ever-broader improvements to patient safety, clinical efficiency and patient outcomes. To learn more, visit www.leafhealthcare.com

Leaf Healthcare is a proud supporter of the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP). The NPUAP is an independent organization and does not endorse or promote the products or services of any of its supporters.

SOURCE Leaf Healthcare, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.leafhealthcare.com