With falls being a leading cause of death among older adults, communities have a high incentive to adopt new technology that can predict, detect and reduce such accidents.
A safety reporting database that provides guidance to long-term care providers just added a new fall-detection system to its ranks to provide more thorough and accurate analytics.
SafelyYou and its fall-detection platform recently announced that it is now a “non-exclusive contractor” for the ECRI, a patient safety organization that provides senior care solutions.
SafelyYou’s system uses cameras equipped with artificial intelligence to detect falls; the system can help lower the incidence of falls and emergency department visits by 40% and 80% respectively, the company claims.
ECRI also touted last year its fall management program reduced incidents in partner long-term care campuses by 11%.
In addition to other benefits, the ability to prevent falls helps reduce staff turnover, industry executives told SafelyYou last year.
“We’re thrilled to be named one of the ECRI PSO’s analytic contractors,” SafelyYou COO Shirley Nickels said in a statement. He said it will help more communities be able to “pursue their quality improvement objectives, more confidently review fall videos, and understand more clearly how to prevent falls, which leads to better outcomes for residents.”
ECRI maintains one of the largest databases for patient safety information, analyzing millions of safety “events” for their analysts to provide support to providers.
With regard to senior care, ECRI caters to providers by offering consulting services on risk management, medication and data insights, with the goal of increasing safety and reducing costs, including claims and litigation.
SafelyYou is one of a growing number of safety monitoring companies that use sensors and other technology to aid in safety management. Some of the newer ones analyze sleep patterns, employ smartwatches and use other recent technologic innovations.
