How smart stretchers support hospital fall prevention protocols

Explore the ways smart, connected stretchers can support fall prevention protocols and lighten the load for care teams

Every year, nearly 1 million patients in the U.S. experience a fall while hospitalized.¹ These events can increase the length of stay and drive up costs of care.² And in busy high-risk environments like the emergency department, even routine tasks, like monitoring bed exits, can be a heavy burden for clinical teams that are stretched thin.

A recent executive brief developed with HIMSS and Clinical Informatics Advisor, Whende Carroll RN, MSN, explores how smart technologies, like stretchers equipped with embedded sensors, can help care teams monitor patients more effectively, streamline decision-making and support clinician wellbeing.³

What you’ll learn in the executive brief³

• How sensor-enabled stretchers can support patient fall risk monitoring through bed exit alarms
• The role of connected tools in communicating vital data in near real-time
• How automating routine tasks may help reduce clinician workload and stress
• Ways smart technologies can support patient flow and bed allocation to help reduce length of stay
• Key considerations for selecting smart solutions, from data quality to technical integration