A growing fall prevention technology available through AvaSure has reportedly been rolled out in a wide variety of the nation’s hospitals and systems, including Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston, Inova Health System in Virginia, HCA St. David’s Healthcare in Texas, Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, and University of California Health.
The AvaSys TeleSitter Solution has been in use within many of the nation’s largest health systems, according to a company news release. These include facilities owned by St. Louis-based Ascension Health; Cincinnati-based Mercy Health; San Francisco-based Dignity Health; Kettering (Ohio) Health Network; Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare; Novi, Mich-based Trinity Health; Iowa-based UnityPoint Health; and Milwaukee-based Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare.
The solution is a remote patient observation and communication platform, built to allow both visual and audio monitoring of patients who are at risk of self-harm, including falls, removal of life-saving devices, and other injuries. AvaSys is designed to enable a single caregiver to track as many as 15 patients at once from a central monitoring station. The observers can vocally intervene with patients while also summoning a nurse to avert harm.
Angela Shippy, MD, chief quality officer, Memorial Hermann, notes that the facility’s integration of the new system “emphasizes our commitment to quality and safety for our patients, all while providing the highest possible care and using innovative technology to redirect patients before a fall occurs.”
The release reports that at Memorial Hermann, AvaSys mobile systems are now being placed in the rooms of high-risk patients at the Texas Medical Center and TIRR (The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research). Texas Medical Center has 7,000 beds and 7.2 million annual patient visits.
Shippy adds that the technology does not replace the organization’s current safety measures; rather “it simply enhances these efforts and is another tool we can use to care for our patients. The feedback we have already heard from patients and family members is very positive. Families feel more secure and at ease knowing someone is continuously looking after their loved ones when they are most vulnerable.”
AvaSys, the release notes, also provides permanent in-room solutions, which it says are being used by a variety of hospitals for behavioral health patients. The system is also being used for staff education and training, validation of call light requests, and other uses.
Source: AvaSure
