Remote Patient Monitoring Improves Patient Falls and Reduces Harm.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare technology
• Patient safety research
• Nursing leadership

Background:

• Patient falls and related injuries are a significant concern for healthcare providers, impacting patient safety and incurring substantial costs.
• Current fall prevention strategies, such as in-person sitters, are resource-intensive and costly.
• Remote patient monitoring (RPM) presents a potential alternative to traditional methods for mitigating fall-related harm.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of remote patient monitoring (RPM) in reducing patient falls.
• To assess the impact of RPM on fall-related injuries.
• To explore the economic implications of implementing RPM technology in a hospital setting.

Main Methods:

• Data were collected from electronic health records across a 13-hospital healthcare system.
• Incidence rate ratios were employed to analyze the relationship between RPM implementation and fall/injury rates.
• The study compared outcomes with and without the use of RPM alongside standard fall precautions.

Main Results:

• RPM implementation led to a 33.7% reduction in patient falls when combined with standard precautions.
• A 47.4% decrease in fall-related injuries was observed with the use of RPM.
• The study estimated annual systemwide savings of over $2 million due to reduced fall-related expenditures, with a direct decrease of $304,400 in fall-related costs.

Conclusions:

• Remote patient monitoring technology effectively minimizes patient falls and reduces associated harm.
• RPM enhances patient safety and contributes positively to hospital financial outcomes.
• The findings support RPM as a valuable tool for healthcare organizations aiming to improve fall prevention and manage costs.