Emergence client, Charlottetown, PEI-based Stepscan Technologies Inc. has announced a new mobility assessment tool for assessing hospital patients and nursing home residents for accidental falls.
Stepscan® is a pressure sensitive electronic floor tile system and software for analyzing gait and balance.
Stepscan’s new mobility assessment tool specifically addresses the growing problem of accidental falls in hospitals and Long-Term Care facilities.
Accidental falls in hospitals and nursing homes is a widespread and serious threat to patient safety.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that between 50-75% of elder patients suffer from a nursing home fall each year and that 1,800 elderly patients die each year as a result. Falls among patients and /or residents in a typical nursing home (100 beds) is reported to be 100-200 falls per year.
The statistics for hospital falls are similar. There are significant incremental costs associated with falls including patient care costs, increased length of stay and liability. The direct cost to the US healthcare industry due to accidental falls in nursing homes and hospitals is estimated to be in the range of $27 billion.
Stepscan® gait and balance technology is currently being used in hospitals and clinics internationally in applications ranging from general rehabilitation, pre-surgery planning and post-operative assessment of Cerebral Palsy children, stroke rehabilitation, concussion screening and fitting of prosthetic limbs.
“Last year we were approached by the Director of Care of a long term care facility in Canada with a request to develop a specific fall risk assessment software report that could be used as part of a fall risk screening and monitoring process in their facility,” Crystal Trevors, Stepscan Technologies owner and founder, told us.
“The resulting Stepscan mobility assessment tool is capable of measuring and tracking irregularities in gait and balance, easily and quickly identifying residents or hospitalized patients who are at high risk for falling. Stepscan also presents a screening and monitoring tool that demonstrates duty of care in ensuring patient and resident safety and well-being. I am confident that Stepscan will be a valuable addition to any fall prevention and monitoring programs any organization currently has in place”.
Stepscan Technologies Inc. is a federally incorporated Canadian technology company dedicated to the development and commercialization of its multiple patents in the field of movement tracking and analysis. The company’s pressure sensitive flooring system has many applications beyond medical research and clinical rehabilitation, including sports training, clinical drug trials, military training /virtual simulation, and security. Stepscan Technologies is one of over 45 companies that make up the Prince Edward Island Bioscience Cluster and they are a proud member of the Atlantic Canada Aerospace and Defense Association (ACADA).