Smart Socks May Cut Hospital Fall Rates in At-Risk Patients

FRIDAY, Aug. 26, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Use of the Smart Sock system may reduce hospital fall rates among fall-risk patients, according to a study published online Aug. 19 in the Journal of Nursing Care Quality.

Tammy Moore, Ph.D., R.N., from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, and colleagues examined whether Smart Socks, which consist of socks with built-in pressure sensors that detect when a patient is trying to stand, in combination with interrelated devices with sensors and a notification device worn by nurses, reduces fall rates in patients at risk for fall. The study included 569 fall-risk patients in neurological- and neurosurgical-based units, with 2,211.6 patient-days.

The researchers identified 4,999 Smart Socks alarms, but no falls. Patients wearing Smart Socks had a lower fall rate compared with the historical rate (zero versus four per 1,000 patient-days). The median response time for nurses was 24 seconds.

"We observed a lower fall rate among the patients wearing the Smart Socks than the historical fall rate; however, future studies with complete study enrollment would strengthen these results," the authors write. "Future studies may need to include randomization of fall risk patients between existing fall prevention and the Smart Socks system to allow a better comparison of the results."

The PUP Smart Socks system was made available for the study free of charge by Palarum.

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