On September 17th, World Patient Safety Day is marked worldwide to focus on improving safety in all aspects of the healthcare system. This is an official marking under the auspices of the UN and WHO (World Health Organisation) which calls for solidarity and coordinated action from all countries and international actors to improve patient safety.
According to the WHO, lack of patient safety is a serious public health problem. Unsafe health care puts patients worldwide at risk of injury and death during treatment. Patient injuries resulting from adverse events are estimated to be among the ten leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Patient safety is fundamental to delivering high-quality essential healthcare services, and this helps to prevent and reduce risks, errors and injuries for patients who receive healthcare.
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UK spends a lot of money on health services per person, according to the OECD survey «Health at a Glance», and a lot is spent on dementia and fall. And it is precisely within these two categories that Sensio's solutions contribute most to patient safety.
Sensio has products and solutions that have been developed with a view to both increasing efficiency and improving patient safety in care homes and in home care, and at the same time providing good support for healthcare personnel in their daily work.
– At Sensio, we are passionate about enabling a safer and more efficient health and care service, and we have modern and advanced solutions and products that both monitor, warn and document incidents that improve patients' safety, says Country Manager Lisa Delaney at Sensio UK.
She particularly highlights the safety sensor RoomMate as an example of a product that improves patient safety.
– RoomMate detects and reduces falls for patients and residents in nursing homes and in home care. The sensor automatically alerts in various situations where assistance may be needed, for example if you have been in the bathroom for too long at night or if you call for help, says Delaney.
She continues:
– This is important for an ever-increasing number of residents who are not fully able to use traditional alarm buttons for nurse call. Sensor data can be collected and analyzed, enabling individual mapping. It makes it easier to better understand the patient's needs and to facilitate an individually adapted service, which increases both quality and patient safety and provides a safer everyday life for those who receive healthcare services in nursing homes and in their own homes.
Nesoddtunet Care Home in Norway says that patient safety received a significant boost after the introduction of welfare technology from Sensio. They have a nurse call system with digital supervision, including RoomMate in all 122 patient rooms.
– My experience is that this has brought great benefits both for the patients, the employees and the relatives. The biggest gain is clearly better patient safety, says Head of Department Konrad Dawda at Nesoddtunet.
Arvika local authority in Sweden reports a reduction in the number of fall accidents of 60 percent in their care homes after they started using RoomMate in combination with working digitally first.
Automated notifications.
Sensio's systems are equipped with sensors that can monitor the patient's or resident's activity and state of health, such as movement, falls or abnormal behaviour. By sending automatic alerts to nursing staff in the event of deviations, the systems ensure that employees can quickly react to potentially dangerous situations. This is particularly important for people with dementia, who are not always able to notify themselves.
Fall detection and fall prevention
Sensio offers solutions that include fall alarms and sensors that can detect potentially dangerous situations. The solutions automatically notify the staff, without them having to be present – what is called «passive notification». This allows care personnel to intervene before the person falls and prevent injury. The solution will also detect actual falls, so the care staff can get to the patient room quickly and prevent further injuries.
Digital documentation.
Sensio's solutions (Sensio 365) include digital and cloud-based systems for documentation and record keeping. It ensures that all patient data is up-to-date and easily accessible. This also reduces the risk of errors in treatment, ensures continuity of care and improves patient safety.
Custom alarms.
With Sensio's solutions, alarms can be adapted to individual needs, so that unnecessary alerts are avoided. This provides both individualized healthcare and helps to ensure that the care staff reacts to the most important incidents and prioritizes resources accordingly.
Integration with existing systems.
Sensio's solutions can often be integrated with other technological systems that are already in use. This makes it easier for care staff to have an overall overview of the patient's situation and react accordingly, thereby reducing the risk of incorrect medication.
Ease of use and training.
Sensio's solutions must be easy to use for healthcare personnel, and training is offered to ensure that employees can use the technology effectively. Sufficient and regular training reduces the risk of misuse and increases patient safety.
These are several examples of products and solutions from Sensio that can play a decisive role in improving patient safety and increasing the quality of life for both patients and residents in nursing homes and in home care.