The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center to Implement Palarum's Smart Sock Fall Prevention Technology
Featured Image for Palarum, LLC
Featured Image for Palarum, LLC
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center will begin using Palarum's PUP® new smart sock technology at three of their hospitals in 2022. The agreement follows a nine-month Institutional Review Board (IRB) evaluation of the PUP® socks with "high fall-risk" patients at The Ohio State Brain and Spine Hospital.
"Our IRB study of designated fall-risk patients gave us initial insight into how the socks could assist in preventing falls. We look forward to expanding the validation of the product in fall prevention," said Tammy Moore, nursing administrator and principal investigator of the study at Ohio State's Neurological Institute.
The Palarum PUP® (Patient is UP) smart socks utilize innovative, wearable technology to help prevent patient falls and enhance rehabilitation therapy. Using patented eTextile and IoT technologies, PUP® socks issue real-time alerts to immediately notify nearby nurses when an enrolled fall-risk patient has gotten out of bed unassisted.
The Palarum PUP® IRB study at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center compared results to benchmark data for three patient floors to determine the overall value of the sock in patient care. Nurses were educated on enrolling high fall-risk patients in the PUP evaluation. Once fitted with a pair of PUP® socks, hospitalized patients were continually monitored for possible movement out of bed. If the PUP® socks detected a patient attempting to get out of bed, an alert was issued to the three closest nurses wearing a PUP® smart badge and to the nurses' station. Details of the potential fall-risk event was also captured on a PUP® smart tablet in the patient's room.
"This evaluation and plans for implementation have provided initial validation of the value of PUP® smart socks. They have been proven to be highly effective at decreasing fall rates among at-risk patient populations," said Patrick Baker, president and CEO of Palarum. "We are thrilled to be collaborating with one of Ohio's premier healthcare organizations to install and implement our wearable PUP sock technology in the next few months."
About Palarum:
Founded in 2016, Palarum created the revolutionary PUP® smart sock that incorporates patented technologies woven into conductive fabric. The technology enables real-time monitoring to prevent patient falls and enhance physical therapy and rehabilitation. PUP® is the most technologically advanced, nurse-centric, patient mobility system in healthcare. It improves patient safety by greatly reducing injuries from falls and significantly reduces costs related to falls. It also decreases alarm fatigue through a smart notification system and generates critical new data to enhance facility operations. PUP® is designed for acute care hospitals, as well as facilities for rehabilitation, long-term care, and physical therapy. www.palarum.com.