Kalamazoo’s Stryker, a medical technology company, has launched the industry’s first smart, completely wireless hospital bed.
ProCuity is designed to reduce in-hospital patient falls, improve nurse workflow and safety, and help lower hospital costs. It can connect to nurse call systems without the use of cables or wires.
“Patient safety is at the foundation of everything we do at Stryker,” says Jessica Mathieson, vice president and general manager of acute care at Stryker. “With rising acuity rates leading to increased bed demand, coupled with the continuing challenge of in-hospital falls, we needed to find a solution to further enhance our response to some of today’s most pressing health care challenges.
“Leveraging our long history in innovation, ProCuity is the culmination of years of extensive research and feedback from nurses and other health care professionals to create what is truly a ‘brilliance in a bed’ solution. It was designed to improve patient outcomes and assist caregivers for years to come.”
The bed features iBed Wireless, which sends all bed data, including bed configuration and exit alarm activity, wirelessly to hospital information systems. ProCuity can also integrate with Stryker’s patient-centric clinical dashboard, iBed Vision.
Three-position Secure Assist side rails allow for easier patient entry and exit as well as nurse-patient interaction. The rails stay close to the bed, so they don’t bump interfere with equipment next to it.
ProCuity’s Adaptive Bed Alarm uses load cell technology to sense a patient’s weight and will alert nurses if a patient is out of position or has left the bed. Rail positioning, head of bed angle, and height are all monitored through the iBed Watch system.
The ProCuity Z and ZM models include Zoom Motorized Drive and offer a motorcycle throttle-like touch handle that deploys the central fifth wheel. It also comes with one-touch electric brakes.
The beds are designed to meet all patient acuity levels. Each also offers a 12-inch bed extender for taller patients as well as a USB port and electronics holder so patients can charge and store electronic devices.
According to 2018 research from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, between 700,000 and 1 million patients fall while being treated in the hospital each year, and 79 percent of falls occur on or near a bed while unassisted, according to “Design Powered by Research: Improving Patient and Caregiver Safety Through Evidence-Based Design,” a 2020 report by Guy Fragala.
Stryker’s research shows that 97 percent of hospital nurses have worked with patients who have difficulty getting out of a hospital bed, and 75 percent reported they have encountered situations in which patients have hurt themselves while getting out of hospital beds. Anywhere from 30-51 percent of in-hospital falls result in injuries, according to a 2010 study titled “Preventing falls and fall-related injuries in hospitals” by Clin Geriatric Medicine.
Styker guarantees customers will see a 50 percent reduction in bed-related falls occurring on Stryker beds that use iBed Wireless technology.
ProCuity is being launched in more than 70 countries with a market focus in North and Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand, and Asia. In the U.S., units are expected to ship in January 2021.
