. This research will demonstrate the feasibility of a Deterrent for Escape from Bed to delay attempted escapes from a hospital bed by confused persons, without restraining them, until a nurse can arrive. The device is needed because restraint is the most frequently performed procedure in nursing homes even though restraint increases the risk of injury. The Deterrent for Escape from Bed will reduce the risk and minimize the need for physical and chemical restraints. It will incorporate a voice message urging the patient to remain in bed and a low pressure air bag, located outside the patient's bed and inflated at the time of the attempted escape. A commercially available escape detector will provide the signal to deploy the bag and the message. Phase I will include design and construction of a Deterrent for and tests for effectiveness, safety, non-intrusiveness, harmless appearance and convenient using Amron volunteers. The anticipated result of the research will be the design for a Deterrent for Escape from Bed, one or more devices built to that design, test results, and an analyses of the performance of the device, which could be used in any hospital or nursing home where residents are confused.
| Capezuti, Elizabeth; Brush, Barbara L; Lane, Stephen et al. (2009) Bed-exit alarm effectiveness. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 49:27-31 |
