Patrick Baker, Founder and CEO Palarum LLC is a leading medtech company specializing in advanced wearable fall prevention and mobility monitoring systems for hospitals, nursing homes, physical therapy, and rehabilitation centers. ‘Designed by nurses for nurses,’ Palarum’s groundbreaking Patient is UP (PUP) system is a breakthrough solution for preventing patient falls, which are among the most frequent and costly sentinel events in U.S. hospitals.

“We have revolutionized fall prevention with a smart solution for patient safety and mobility,” says Patrick Baker, founder and CEO of Cincinnati-based Palarum. “The PUP system seamlessly integrates with current nursing workflows in acute care and healthcare settings, serving as a powerful tool to prevent falls. Improving patient safety and satisfaction is a top priority for all hospitals.”

The integrated fall monitoring system begins with Palarum’s SmartSocks, which are crafted with patented eTextile and IoT innovation. When a fall-risk patient gets out of bed unassisted, the socks remotely send immediate and accurate alerts to the three nearest clinicians via Palarum’s SmartBadge, as well as to the nursing station. The alert prompts a rapid response designed to prevent a patient fall before it happens. It also enables hospitals and nursing management to receive comprehensive daily reports on stand events, nurse intervention, and outcomes.

Improving Patient Safety with e-Wearable Technology

According to the Joint Commission’s Sentinel Event Data 2022 Annual Review, hospitals reported, on average, a total of 1,441 sentinel events during the year. Patient falls account for a staggering 42 percent of the events, which can result in severe injuries like fractures, bleeding, head trauma, and even death.

“A major cause of falls among hospitalized patients can be attributed to human nature. They tend to overlook precautions and engage in risky actions in an effort to regain their independence or not to overburden their caregivers,” says Baker.

Inpatient falls can also lead to legal hurdles and reimbursement issues for hospitals, as falls are deemed ‘preventable’ or ‘never’ events by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

While several current technologies attempt to prevent inpatient falls, including bed, floor, and chair alarms, they typically fall short of reducing fall incidents. Alarm systems often trigger false alarms, leading nurses to grow desensitized and less responsive to alerts—a phenomenon known as alarm fatigue. A recent hospital study showed that 70 percent of all bed alarms were false, resulting in reduced staff responsiveness and an average of 7.6 safety events for every patient admission.

Other fall prevention systems, such as in-room video monitoring and live patient “sitters,” are costly and can also be viewed as intrusions of patient privacy or confidentiality.