Dalcon Alert: Preventing Patient Falls with Technology

Patient falls are of great concern for health care facilities; they cause the patient unnecessary physical and emotional pain, and they are expensive. Not only do fall caused injuries cost thousands of dollars each; they also consume valuable time and tarnish the reputations of hospitals.

Many techniques, tools, and technologies have been utilized to reduce fall rates in hospitals, but fall rates are still remain high.  The primary reason patient monitors fail to stop falls is because caregivers are unable to receive patient monitor alarms remotely.  As a result, caregivers are only able to act upon those alarms they can see and hear in their close vicinity.

Solutions Offered by New Technology

Dalcon Alert helps hospitals prevent patient falls by managing and remotely communicating patient monitor alarms.

Dalcon Alert sends patient monitor alarms directly to wireless phones carried by caregivers.  Remotely communicating alarms directly to caregivers allows caregivers to react to all changes in patient status, and provide their best possible patient care.
Dalcon Alert also sends alarms to the nursing station console where they can be viewed in real-time.  This up-to-date tracking of all patient monitoring alarms assures that no alarm will be overlooked.

Specifically, Dalcon Alert connects with up to five common monitoring devices including, but not limited to:

• IV pumps
• bed fall pads
• bed exit pads
• patient monitors

By working with existing patient care devices, Dalcon Alert can dramatically reduce patient fall rates, thus saving hospitals tens of thousands of dollars annually.

For more information about the severity of patient fall liability, and methods used to prevent falls, see the white paper “An Assessment of Falls in Patients’ Rooms and Methods of Prevention.”