Smith+Nephew recently revealed that its LEAF Patient Monitoring System has logged over 7 million hours of usage among approximately 60,000 patients, further contributing to reducing the human and economic costs from inpatient hospital injuries, according to Cision PR Newswire.
The LEAF monitoring system was initially introduced to U.S. health care facilities in 2014 as the first FDA-approved tool used to monitor a patient's positioning and movement while bed-bound, in an effort to prevent hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs).
"We're proud that the LEAF System has reached this major milestone while driving improved patient outcomes and economic savings to health care systems," Simon Fraser, president of advanced wound management at Smith+Nephew, told Cision PR Newswire. "The LEAF System perfectly exemplifies Smith+Nephew's purpose: using technology to take the limits off living and to help medical professionals do the same. It is an important technology that improves the standard of care and curbs the growth rate of HAPIs."
A HAPI is a skin or underlying tissue injury that can occur during an inpatient hospital stay. HAPIs can develop when patients are not repositioned with sufficient frequency to prevent prolonged pressure, particularly over bony prominences.
The LEAF System assists in mitigating this issue by measuring the turn frequency and tissue recovery time required to improve the rate of a patient's repositioning. According to studies, patients are repositioned at a rate of less than 50% using traditional turn methods.
Additionally, the LEAF System supports nurses in prioritizing patient care, optimizes workflow and saves hospitals nonreimbursed costs associated with treating pressure damage, along with rental bed costs.
