The story of one hospital’s dramatic reduction in the number of pressure ulcers among its patients was showcased recently at the Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA) Quality Advocacy Showcase, held at the State Capitol building in Springfield, Ill.

During the showcase, Graham Hospital of Canton, in central Illinois, reported to state lawmakers that it eliminated 95% of its pressure ulcer cases after deploying the Leaf Patient Monitoring System.

“Graham Hospital felt we needed to aggressively address the problem of pressure ulcers ­ the nation’s most common hospital-acquired condition ­ by deploying the Leaf Patient Monitoring System to all of our nursing units,” says Teresa McConkey, chief nursing executive of Graham Hospital, in a media release from Leaf Healthcare Inc.

“The Leaf System notifies our staff when a patient needs to be repositioned to reduce the risk of pressure ulcers. After 6 months, the system more than paid for itself by protecting our patients, eliminating costs of treating patients who acquire pressure ulcers, and helping patients to more quickly return to their normal daily activities.”

Th fourth annual IHA Quality Showcase shone the spotlight on initiatives undertaken by Illinois hospitals to improve quality and patient care. Nearly 230 quality improvement initiatives were presented during the first three showcases.

Leaf Healthcare Inc’s Leaf System is an FDA-cleared medical technology designed to continuously monitor patient activity and position of bed-bound, chair-bound, and ambulatory patients to identify those who could benefit from repositioning, per the release.

[Source: Leaf Healthcare Inc]