Implementation of a Continuous Video Monitoring Program to Decrease Inpatient Falls in a Long-Term Acute Care Hospital Setting: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study.
Lisa Kalafus, Henry Charles Hrdlicka, Jennifer Lombardi and 3 others
PMID 41261482WHAT IT FOUND
In a long-term acute care hospital, inpatient falls declined from 4.9 to 3.8 per 1,000 patient-days after a continuous video monitoring program with technicians and nurse supervisor workflows.
The paper does not show that any single part caused the change.
Key findings
01Inpatient falls decreased from 4.9 to 3.8 per 1,000 patient-days, a 25.1% decrease, during the study period.
02Total 1:1 sitter hours decreased from 28,560 to 2,800, a 90.2% change.
03Technicians recorded 7,037 adverse events avoided, and 90.7% were falls.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was a single-site before-and-after observational study, not a randomized trial, so the paper does not show that the program alone caused the change. The program bundled devices, technician monitoring, nurse supervisor triage, workflows, and floor staff response; the paper cannot separate the contribution of any single component. The reference period was historical and included a different calendar time, and the authors note local surges of COVID-19 in April and December 2021. Patient satisfaction was measured only after discharge, and only 29 of 742 returned surveys were from patients who reported continuous video monitoring. The program was limited by device and technician capacity, and 230 of 257 study-period falls occurred without a technician present.
Declared interests
No funding or conflict-of-interest statement is included in the supplied text. The monitoring devices and system software were leased from the manufacturer.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that continuous video monitoring alone caused the fall reduction. This was a single-site observational before-and-after study, and the program included devices, technician monitoring, nurse supervisor triage, workflows, and floor staff response, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated.