Clinical benefits of ultralow beds

CLINICAL STUDIES

Four inches (10 cm). That is the difference between falling – or rolling – out of bed. Four precious inches. So small a distance, yet so large a difference between extended hospital stay and cost – or its avoidance. Our entire range of Health Care Beds aim to prevent fall injuries and provide the opportunity for excellent care. Studies have shown the importance of using floor-level-beds to prevent fall injuries for patients at risk of falling out of their beds.

FALL INJURIES AND ENTRAPMENT – A MAJOR SOURCE OF INJURIES

On a yearly basis, nearly 40 million cases of fall injuries become serious enough to require medical attention. A surprisingly large number of these injuries afflict patients already attending hospital care. This contradicts the perception of hospitals and medical centers as being safe and controlled environments. In fact, fall injuries must be considered among the biggest problems in hospital care, as each year somewhere between 700,000 and 1,000,000 people fall in the hospital in the United States alone. Read more

Source: learnnottofall   

THE COST ISSUE WITH FALL INJURIES AND ENTRAPMENT

Fall injuries are among the most serious problems in hospital care, and a vast majority of all falls that take place in hospitals occur around the bed. In the USA alone, somewhere between 700,000 to 1,000,000 people suffer from fall injuries each year while attending hospital care and observational studies show that 60–70% of all falls in hospital occur from the bed or bedside chair. Read more

Source: the medical journal of Australia / Oxford journals                                                                                                      

SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM WITH FALL INJURIES AND ENTRAPMENT

To eliminate fall injuries you need to reduce the impact force of the fall. Starting from a height of only 10 cm (4 inches), if you add 5 cm (2 inches) in height the impact force increases by 50 %. From 20 cm, the height of most so called low level beds, the result is a 100 % increase in the impact force compared to falling from 10 cm or floor level. Read more

Source: Study by Dr George Zaphir, Australia      

STUDY: REDUCING SERIOUS FALL-RELATED INJURIES IN ACUTE HOSPITALS: ARE LOW-LOW BEDS A CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR?

Anna Barker, Jeannette Kamar, Tamara Tyndall and Keith Hill, 2012.

During the observation of 356,158 inpatients, there were 3946 falls and 1005 fall-related injuries of which 60 (5·9%) were serious (55 fractures and five subdural haematomas). Serious fall-related injuries declined significantly throughout the period.

When there was one low-low bed to nine or more standard beds there was no statistically significant decrease in serious fall-related injuries. An important reduction only occurred when there was one low-low bed to three standard beds. Read more

ARTICLE: THE COSTS OF FATAL AND NON-FATAL FALLS AMONG OLDER ADULTS

– J A Stevens, P S Corso, E A Finkelstein, T R Miller

Fall related injuries are a serious public health issue among people aged ⩾65 years in developed countries. More than a third of older adults fall each year and 10% to 20% of falls cause serious injuries such as fractures or head traumas. Non-fatal fall injuries are associated with considerable morbidity including decreased functioning and loss of independence as well as significant use of healthcare services. Read more