Falls, especially amongst hospitalised patients, result in serious health consequences for patients and high healthcare costs. Researchers believe 30% of in-hospital falls are preventable, so it is essential to determine ways to keep frail and vulnerable patients safe from falls.
While pressure sensors in patients’ beds or seats have been used by clinicians to tackle the issue, they’re over-sensitive and produce false alarms, leading to alarm fatigue and reduced efficacy.
To help health professionals and caregivers, Palarum has developed first-of-its-kind “Smart Socks” that monitor patients’ movements and warn caretakers when a patient tries walking or standing unattended by a nurse or caregiver.
Let’s know more about Palarum Smart Socks and how it helps avoid patient falls.
Palarum’s PUP® Smart Socks
Palarum Smart Socks are wireless socks named PUP® (Patient is Up) Smart Socks. PUP® smart socks are designed to facilitate early detection of falls by enabling and encouraging a system present on the patients and staff themselves. The socks utilise patented e-Textile and IoT technology to send real-time notifications to nearby nurses when a fall-risk patient gets out of bed independently.
Palarum’s PUP® provides:
- A hassle-free solution for both patients and caregivers
- Real-time detailed analysis of patient activity
- Patient data presented in an easy-to-read dashboard and reports
- Customised therapy plans for patients
How do Palarum Smart Socks work?
The socks’ bottom is made of e-textile material embedded with three sensors. The fibres woven into the sock carry the message to the sensor, which connects with the medical staff.
When the patient gets out of bed unattended, an alarm is sent to the nursing staff, and the system searches for and locates the three nearest nursing staff in real-time. The technology is intelligent enough to recognise the nurses on duty. If one of the three is not present in the room within the first 60 seconds, the system automatically switches to an all-staff call within 90 seconds. As soon as the sensor detects a nurse in the room, the alarm is automatically turned off, and the remaining staff members are notified.
Palarum PUP was tested by researchers at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and they were thrilled by the results. “With this system, no falls were detected, and only 0.2% of the alarms were false alarms. We also analysed nurse response times that ranged from 1 second to nearly 10 minutes and found that the median nurse response time was 24 seconds,” said Tina Bodine, a researcher involved in the study.
Palarum’s PUP solution was also featured in the Journal of Gerontological Nursing.
About Palarum
Palarum is a leading Medtech startup specialising in health-monitoring systems deployed in hospitals, nursing homes, physical therapy, rehab, and more. Their technology is designed to help patients communicate with doctors and nurses in real time. This ensures the patient gets the care they need without having to worry about being stuck on hold or getting lost in a maze of bureaucracy.
Founded by Patrick and Chris Baker in 2016, Palarum has raised a total of $11M in funding so far. Every other hospital in Ohio, United States, employs Palarum technology, as it is the most technologically sophisticated, nurse-centric patient mobility system in healthcare. It enhances patient safety by drastically lowering fall injuries and expenditures associated with falls.
It also reduces alarm fatigue by using a smart notification system and produces important new data to improve facility operations. PUP® is intended for use in acute care hospitals, as well as rehabilitation, long-term care, and physical therapy institutions.
Palarum is on a mission to provide a better healthcare system by forming a communication system between healthcare professionals and patients. It is working on extending alternate and appropriate technologies that address the needs of the masses.
