Essential Falls Prevention Devices in Hospitals

The Purpose of Falls Prevention Devices

Falls management devices for hospitals, commonly referred to as falls prevention devices, can be divided into four basic categories: (1) devices designed to help monitor fall risk patients, (2) devices intended to help mitigate fall-related injuries, (3) devices that can be used to assist fall risk patients, and (4) devices meant to help identify fall risk patients.

Fall prevention programs at hospitals and care facilities typically include a number of safety protocols that implement such devices. This article will briefly discuss a few of these falls prevention tools in addition to several implementation considerations and potential implementation challenges.

Essential Falls Prevention Devices

There is an ever-growing diversity of falls prevention tools available for hospitals and care facilities. The items described below represent some of the most recent and/or most popular types of falls prevention devices. These product solutions vary in intended purpose.

Patient Alarms, Sensors, and Nurse Call Adapters (Patient Monitoring)

Falls prevention alarms, sensors, and nurse call adapters may use either wired or wireless technologies to help nurses monitor fall risk patients. Wired falls prevention alarms, sensors, and nurse call adapters, which are based on more mature technology, are designed to notify professional caregivers if a fall risk patient attempts to exit a bed, a chair, or a toilet without assistance.

Alternatively, hospitals and care facilities can choose to implement new and innovative wireless alarms, sensors, and nurse call adapters as part of their fall prevention programs. Product solutions based on advanced wireless technology are now available to notify nurses if a fall risk patient attempts to exit a chair or a toilet without assistance.

The Posey^® On Cue^® PRO Alarm, for example, is a wireless fall monitor that can afford nurses a greater degree of workflow flexibility as they provide care for their fall risk patients. The alarm can be mounted in a variety of locations within the patient’s room, or even outside the door to the room, and is pairable with either a Posey Wireless Chair Sensor Pad or a Posey Wireless Toilet Sensor. Each of these wireless falls prevention sensors offers several advantages, including simple instructions, easy placement, and cord-free operation.

In addition to being engineered for seamless compatibility with the aforementioned wireless falls prevention sensors, the On Cue PRO Alarm can also be paired with the Posey Wireless Nurse Call Adapter so that the hospital nurse call system will be wirelessly notified when the alarm sounds.

Floor Mats (Injury Mitigation)

Impact-absorbing floor mats/cushions are a popular choice for hospitals and care facilities seeking to minimize injuries from falls. Low-profile designs with nonskid bottoms help make stepping on/off easy. Fall safety mats with beveled edges accommodate wheelchairs, walkers, and table trays.

Often, fall safety mats are used at the patient’s bedside. Low beds, bed rails, and bedside commodes can also aid in the effort to keep fall risk patients safe.

Hip Pads (Injury Mitigation)

Hip pads are another safety device that hospitals and care facilities can implement as part of their strategy to minimize injuries from falls. Posey Hipsters^® hip protector pants, for example, feature impact-absorbing foam hip pads to help safeguard hip bones against fall-related injuries.

Gait Belts (Patient Assistance)

Gait belts can be used with fall risk patients requiring ambulation and/or transfer assistance (e.g., from/to a bed, wheelchair, or toilet). Correct use of gait belts, also referred to as walking belts or transfer belts, can help reduce risk of injury to caregivers.

Fall Risk Identifiers

Items such as boldly colored footwear (e.g., socks and slippers with skid-resistant treads or nonskid soles), magnets (for door jambs / bed headboards), blankets, and bracelets can help staff identify high fall risk patients.

Implementation Considerations

When implementing a falls prevention device, hospitals and care facilities should take a multidisciplinary approach, leveraging the full range of professional expertise found within the organization and being sure to allocate sufficient resources for staff training and education.

Staff should not only know how, when, and where to use each falls prevention tool (learning via demonstrations, participation in simulated scenarios, etc.) but also understand the organization’s rationale for implementing the device in its fall prevention program.

Methods for tracking device usage, performance, and efficacy should be established. Patient-specific care plans informed by ongoing risk assessments should specify which falls prevention tools will be applied to address each individual’s needs.

Potential Implementation Challenges

Barriers to the effective implementation of falls prevention devices by a hospital or care facility may include implementation costs, noncompliant patients, and demanding workloads/caseloads.

The first concern, implementation costs, should be weighed against expected device benefits, such as a potential reduction in the costs attributable to patient falls (e.g., additional medical procedures, longer hospital stays, possible litigation).

Once a falls prevention device has been put into service at a hospital or care facility, a new set of challenges may arise. Patient noncompliance, for instance, can thwart even the best efforts of nurses. Reviewing safety measures, including the use of relevant devices, with fall risk patients is imperative.

Heavy workloads and caseloads, coupled with the occurrence of urgent events in a fast-paced, ever-evolving environment, can also present implementation challenges. Organizations should provide periodic refresher training on falls prevention devices to reinforce important staff competencies.

Easy-to-use devices designed to accommodate nursing workflow can strengthen fall prevention programs. Contact us to learn more about falls prevention tools for hospitals and care facilities!