Invention Library

LICENSED: Wadsworth Fall Injury Prevention Device

Falling is a significant cause of mortality or injury among patients recovering from surgery, the elderly and the infirm, especially within a hospital or a caregiving facility. In-patient falls cost US health systems over $34 billion annually.

Despite the prevalence of fall reduction programs in hospitals, fall rates in US hospitals range from 3.3 to 11.5 falls per 1,000 patient days. Multiple internal and external studies show falls and the resulting injuries very frequently occur in the bathroom during toileting activities. On average, patients who sustain a fall while at the hospital incur costs over $13,000 greater than patients who do not fall.2 With implementation of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service No-Pay Policy for expenses related to hospital-acquired falls, hospitals are responsible for all fall-related costs.

While there are many devices and procedures to prevent falls (such as handrails, risk assessment, and toileting supervision), hospital and long-term-care facility management and staff believe there is an urgent need for a fall-prevention device that can be used in facility bathrooms.

The Wadsworth Fall Injury Prevention Device, which is designed to detect, protect, and prevent injury in the case of a fall, is that solution.