AI fall prevention tech predicts patient falls with four-tiered alert system
Artificial intelligence (AI) company DARVIS has launched its new Fall Prevention Product with the goal of preventing patient falls entirely.
In the UK, falls are a common occurrence in older people and cost the NHS a lot of money. According to the NHS, half of people over 80 will have at least one fall a year.
Falls become costly as they often result in injuries, such as hip fractures and frailty, which then need to be treated in hospital. UK Government figures reveal that hip fractures alone account for 1.8 million hospital bed days and £1.1 billion in hospital costs every year, without accounting for social care costs. In 2013, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) reported that falls are estimated to cost the NHS more than £2.3 billion per year.
Many falls can be avoided, so technology that helps prevent them could not only save the NHS and the social care sector money, but it reduces pressure off staff who would otherwise treat falls-related injuries.
Using extensive research from some of the top hospital systems worldwide, DARVIS identified the four major indicators leading up to a patient fall and created an AI-powered, four-tiered alert system.
According to the research, the four tiers are:
- Tier 1 – abnormal movement
- Tier 2 – limb exposed / outside of covers
- Tier 3 – patient is upright
- Tier 4 – patient is out of bed
DARVIS’ preventative technology is able to monitor and mitigate falls, so staff can focus on patient care.
Additionally, the AI can send custom alerts to staff that a patient is displaying behaviours indicating that a fall is about to occur. This allows staff to respond and prevent the fall entirely.
Jan Schlüter, DARVIS Founder and COO, commented: “There are products on the market that will alert staff after a fall has occurred, but we go a step beyond that. We don’t just detect the fall – we prevent it entirely.
“We are determined to fix a serious problem in the healthcare space that has not only major financial repercussions for the companies involved, but also causes extreme physical and emotional trauma for the patients and their families.”
The fall prevention technology product is specifically created for hospital ICUs, trauma wards, care facilities, and nursing homes.
This AI fall prevention technology is available in the UK.