Falls and Nursing Workload in Hospitalized Older Adults With Delirium: A Controlled Trial of
3D
‐Radar‐Based Bed‐Exit Monitoring Versus Contact Mat
Tamara Eichenbrenner, Isabella Glaser, Kris Denhaerynck, Vanessa Vater, Diana Fritsch, Valerie Götz, Andreas Fischer, Manuela Pretto, Reto W. Kressig, Wolfgang Hasemann ABSTRACT
Background
Reported in‐hospital fall rates largely rely on subjective incident reporting, and objective verification is rarely used. Evidence on the effectiveness of bed‐exit monitoring systems in patients with delirium is limited, and prospective data on digital contactless systems that do not rely on video‐based monitoring are lacking.
Methods
This prospective, monocentric, non‐randomized controlled study was conducted on a specialized delirium care unit. Analogue bed‐exit monitoring using a contact mat (CareMat) in front of the bed was compared with a digital contactless 3D‐radar bed‐exit monitoring system (QUMEA), which does not generate or record video data. Patients aged ≥ 65 years with delirium were allocated by room availability to analogue or digital bed‐exit surveillance. Bed‐exit‐related falls, daily bed‐exit warnings and nurse presence time were analyzed. Falls were identified using institutional records, electronic health records and system logs. For research purposes only, event‐triggered thermal camera recordings were used for objective fall verification.
Results
In 119 patients contributing 1799 patient days, bed‐exit‐related fall rates were 22.6 per 1000 patient days with CareMat and 11.5 with QUMEA adjusted OR, 3.76 (95% CI, 1.25–11.27). The analogue CareMat device generated more bed‐exit warnings adjusted OR, 1.89 (95% CI, 1.41–2.53) and longer nurse presence times adjusted OR, 1.60 (95% CI, 1.21–2.11).
Conclusions
Under conditions of objective fall verification independent of the bed‐exit monitoring systems, digital contactless 3D‐radar bed‐exit monitoring was associated with lower bed‐exit‐related fall rates and reduced nursing workload compared with an analogue contact mat.