UK EarlySense Study - Prevention of Falls
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An evaluation of the impact of a continuous patient monitoring system on the prevention of falls in one acute U.K. hospital
IRAS ID
199440
Contact name
Sarah Slight
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Durham University
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Care of critically ill patients is costly. In the 24 hours prior to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission, as many as 80% of these patients will have had abnormal values for heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygenation. Subtle changes in the vital signs of patients in general care units can indicate that a health crisis is imminent. Hospitals are implementing new initiatives geared towards early detection of patient complications and faster intervention once a problem is detected to increase safety and save costs.
Falls are considered one of the major hazards that can lead to injuries, complications or even mortality among hospitalised patients, especially the elderly and those with dementia. The need for constant "watching" and alarm systems that alert nurses of bed exits in a timely manner have been increasing.
The EarlySense system monitors the patient while in the hospital bed. This system consists of a piezoelectric sensor that is placed under the patient’s mattress and produces an electrical signal in response to physiological stimulation.
The overall purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of a continuous monitoring system in one U.K. Hospital Trust. Key objectives include: (1) To measure the impact of a continuous monitoring system on the number and severity of patient falls; (2) To explore staff, patients and carers’ experiences of using or being monitored by the continuous monitoring system; and (3) To evaluate the cost savings attributable to the implementation of this system in a medical and surgical unit, and to determine the return on investment associated with its implementation.
A combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques will be used to evaluate the impact of this system. The main outcome measure of the study is the number and severity of falls (in terms of injury) experienced by patients on the intervention wards.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Leeds West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/YH/0267
Date of REC Opinion
23 Jun 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion