A cost-effective alternative to specialty beds for pressure relief

These study findings had an impact upon the costs of pressure relief. In one 28-day period before the inflatable overlays were added to the pressure relief menu, there were 303 patient charges for specialty beds. In contrast, 6 months after the overlays came into use, staff members had been educated and criteria for selection had been established; in a similar 28-day period, there were only 48 charges for specialty beds. Data over time also indicated that those patients who needed specialty beds used them for a shorter period of time and then were transferred onto an inflatable overlay. This decrease in patient charges resulted in an annual savings of more than $200,000. More important than the cost factor, however, is the benefit the inflatable overlay has provided those patients who are at risk for the development or extension of impaired skin by significantly relieving pressure.