How ISA technology helps caregivers prevent falls?

Preventing is better than curing. This saying also applies to falls in the elderly. The prevention of falls is a collective endeavor, which must involve the entire care team, from the nurse to the occupational therapist, including the quality-control manager.

The ISA system by itself will not prevent patients from falling. However, it will help the caregivers to do their jobs optimally. The real skill, the real action, always lies with the caregiver.

Alert and analyze to prevent falls

ISA operates two forms of prevention: direct prevention and indirect prevention.

Direct fall prevention

The ISA system can alert any unusual bed exits. However, this type of situation does not necessarily mean a fall has occurred. In order not to overload the healthcare team by sending alerts for irrelevant events, this type of alert should be reserved for people placed on strict bed rest.

Indirect fall prevention

By spotting and addressing the first fall in a person, you reduce the risk for subsequent falls, because most of the time, the first fall does not have serious consequences. The treatments can take place earlier and therefore can be more effective.

The sensor therefore records one minute before and one minute after the fall, for two reasons :

• First, by reviewing the fall, the healthcare team will understand how it happened. Patient care can then be personalized: is it a problem of balance while walking? A issue with managing transfers? These data are very useful for nurses as well as physiotherapists or occupational therapists.
• Then, this will allow the quality-control manager to analyze more specifically the problem of falls within the service or hospital.