Pressure Ulcer Wearable Sensor
Hospital acquired pressure ulcers (HAPUs) is a major problem that affects one in twenty patients that are admitted to the hospital with sudden illness. Pressure ulcers are commonly seen in patients with limited mobility, and cannot change positions on their own. HAPUs have been minimalized by turning the patient every two hours to alternating lateral and supine positions, and by the use of a pressure distributing mattress.
Need
In many healthcare facilities, such patient turning protocols are not followed owing to low caregiver to patient ratio and compliance issues. Various causes such as difficulty in continuous monitoring of patient position, lack of turn reminder/alert and suboptimal caregiver staffing ratio results in an increase in HAPUs. Pressure ulcers can also lead to other complications such as sepsis, cellulitis, bone and joint infections.
Innovate
HTIC developed a wearable device which continuously monitors the patient’s position and communicates wirelessly with a tablet which enables alerts to be sent to the caregiver when a patient turn is due in accordance with the protocol being followed by the hospital. The patient’s position is continuously monitored and the turning procedure carried out is logged and updated on the hospital’s cloud system, thereby enabling centralized monitoring.