Innovative System Ensures Reliable Care for Patients at Risk of Pressure Ulcers

Despite known and effective methods for identifying risk and preventing hospital-acquired pressure ulcers, pressure ulcers remain the most prevalent preventable hospital-acquired condition. Turning patients at certain intervals is a proven approach to preventing HAPUs, but this routine task is often delayed or skipped when nurses are drawn unexpectedly into demanding or emergent situations. Nurses are frequently interrupted as they perform patient care activities of all kinds— medication administration, medical device adjustments, assistance with personal activities—to respond to critical alerts, requests for information, communication with family members, and so on.

Inspired by recent advances in wireless sensors, the founders of Leaf Healthcare (leafhealthcare.com) sought to create an effective application of technology to better manage patient care tasks, such as turning protocols, that are routine and important. The system by Leaf Healthcare use a patient-worn wireless sensor, a wireless mesh network, and server-based application software. A sensor-based accelerometer with a 2-week battery life is applied to the chest of patients at risk for pressure ulcers. The system monitors patient movement and position changes over time, and correlates those position changes with prescribed turn protocols necessary to prevent pressure ulcers. This solution relieves caregivers the task of turning patients who have already turned themselves, communicates turn periods in a way that can be easily understood and accomplished when time is available, and ensures patient turns are not missed.

Currently undergoing trials at El Camino Hospital, in Mountain View, CA, the system notifies caregivers when patients need to be turned via conveniently located dashboard displays. An application programming interface (API) is also under development to allow for notification via messaging middleware to mobile devices such as smartphones and wireless VoIP handsets. The dashboard provides visual feedback so that caregivers can identify those patients that need to be turned.

Click here to read an article by Tim Gee about the use of this technology to improve the reliability of routine patient care tasks.