Verified Document

Short Term Care Institutions Essay

Bed and Chair Alarms in a Short-Term Care Facility The nursing problem

The short-term care facility registers a rather increased rate of falls among its patients, from both beds as well as chairs. In some of these cases, the injuries associated with the falls are rather severe, and in a small percentage, they are even fatal. The nursing staffs seek to prevent patient falls from occurring, but being understaffed and working in a demanding environment, guarding each patient at all times is virtually impossible.

A longitudinal analysis of the patient falls in the short-term care facility has revealed that the problem is a rather constant one, without major fluctuations having been observed in the falls registered by patients from beds and chairs. In order to address the matter, a solution is proposed in that of integrating alarms in the bed and chairs used by the patients at the short-term care facility. The beds and chairs would, as such, contain built in sensors to alert the nursing staffs when a patient is at risk of falling. The mechanism by which the alarm would alert the staffs of falling risks is that the sensors would be able to identify when the patient changes the weight pressure in the chair and the bed, by moving in manners which endanger their safety and stability within the bed and the chair. By assessing the patient movements then, the sensors would alert...

Bed and chair alarms are typically pressure sensitive devices placed in beds, chair pads and wheelchair seats that respond to changes in pressure with a warning signal" (Horowitz, 2014).
Barriers to implementation

The theory of using bed and chair alarms within the short care facility is sustained by the science of the pressure points which could alert when falling risks occur. Besides this sound argument however, there are numerous counter-arguments to implementing the personal alarms. Some of the most relevant of these barriers to bed and chair alarm implementation include:

The patients exhibit higher levels of distress and anxiety when they are being constantly monitored

The usage of the alarms implies additional costs as well as new operations within the care facility, which will produce disturbances in operations and patient care

In order for the nurses to be able to prevent the fall once this is alerted, they need to be in the immediate proximity of the patient, otherwise, they will, at most, be altered that someone has fallen and will then provide after-the-fact assistance

It is…

Sources used in this document:
References:

Geffre, S., Bed alarms: Investigating their impact on fall reduction and restraint use, Stanley Healthcare, https://www.stanleyhealthcare.com/files/pdf/st-alexius.pdf accessed on February, 8, 2016

Horowitz, A., (2014) Personal resident alarms: More protection or more risk? Long-Term Living Magazine http://www.ltlmagazine.com/blogs/alan-c-horowitz/personal-resident-alarms-more-protection-or-more-risk accessed on February 8, 2016

Shorr, R.I., Chandler, A.M., Mion, L.C., Waters, T.M., Liu, M., Daniels, M.J., Kessler, L.A., Miller, S.T., (2012) Effects of an intervention to increase bed alarm use to prevent falls in hospitalized patients, Annals of Internal Medicine, No. 20, 157 (10): 629-699
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Long-Term Care in Skilled Nursing
Words: 2070 Length: 7 Document Type: Research Paper

Just because people grow older does not mean they abandon their dreams and desires, and it is important to help find ways that the elderly can continue these pursuits. Table 2 Interview No. 2: "Ron D.": Interview Question Response What do you see as the most important needs for long-term care residents in skilled nursing facilities? Loneliness is far and away one of the biggest problems we see in our facility. It breaks my heart

Long-Term Care Service Delivery System
Words: 2082 Length: 7 Document Type: Research Paper

The nurses are however trained not to get too intimate with the patients as this is against professionalism Braithwaite, Makkai, & Braithwaite, 2007. They also offer informational sup-port giving the resident the right information and guidance in making certain decision. The facility also helps some resident who have been unable to foot their bills to pay up. However, this is after the facility has ascertained beyond doubt that the individuals are

A Key Element Impacting Canadian Healthcare Has Been Long Term Care...
Words: 1988 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Long-Term Care Sustainability as a Major Issue Affecting Canadian Healthcare System The Canadian Health Act (CHA) provides that provincial governments should cover the entire cost of hospital and physician services. There are however two components that the CHA doesn't require provincial governments to pay for including two other components of healthcare; drug costs and non-acute care provided in nursing homes and other kinds of long-term care facilities. Thus, it is up

Missions of Healthcare Institutions
Words: 920 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Educational Mission and Nursing Practice Statements Educational Mission Statement The University of Iowa is known for its world-class academic programs, including the professional preparation and training that is provided through the College of Nursing. The formal mission statement for the College of Nursing University of Iowa is as follows: "The mission of the College of Nursing is to prepare nurse leaders and to be forerunners in the discovery, dissemination and application of nursing

Future of Healthcare As It Relates to the Geriatric Population
Words: 3240 Length: 12 Document Type: Essay

Future of Healthcare as it Relates to the Geriatric Population Description and Problem Statement The geriatric population in the United States is growing and compared to the population of health care providers the geriatric population growth is advancing much more rapidly. This presents a problem in making provision of health care to the future geriatric population. While there is a growth in the demand for geriatric health care services, there is not

Dealing With Nosocomial Infections in a Long-Term Nursing Facility...
Words: 1259 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Long-Term Nursing Facility Management Risks FACILITY-ACQUIRED INFECTIONS Long-Term Nursing Family Management Risks The major risk management issue of our hospital is the spread of nosocomial infections, more popularly known in the medical circle as hospital-acquired infections. This infection is something that a patient can contract or develop besides the condition for which he is admitted (Duel et al. eds, 2004). The include infections, which surface after discharge and occupational types among the workforce

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now