Ribcap Protective Hats For Fall Risk Patients

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Main Digest

Patient falls are the single largest category of reported adverse incidents in hospitals resulting in significant adverse outcomes and increased cost, and they continue to be a considerable challenge across the care continuum.

While improvements have been made in reducing fractures from falls in the hospital setting, reducing head injuries has continued to be an issue in the hospital and all non acute settings.

• One-third of all people over age 65 will fall in the next twelve months, and one third of those that fall will suffer some type of injury.
• Approximately 11,000 fatal falls occur in US hospitals every year, and by the year 2020, the annual direct and indirect costs for fall related care across all healthcare settings is estimated to reach $47 billion.
• Brain injuries and injuries to the hips, legs and feet are both the most fatal and costly of fall injuries accounting for 78% of fatalities and 79% of fall related costs.

The Challenge

Although there has been evolution of technology for head injury prevention for sports, little attention has been paid to evaluating the application of these technologies to promote better patient outcomes. Medical helmets have been available for a number of years, but their use has been limited and compliance poor, as patients find them to be "unattractive", "uncomfortable" and feel they "draw negative attention".

The Solution

Designed with a viscoelastic impact polymer, Ribcap is a technologically advanced means of head protection hidden under a regular appearing cap.

Unlike a helmet with a hard outer shell, this protective cap is made of a soft, pliable polymer that locks up on impact. Independent testing by professor Rémy Willinger from the university of Strasbourg (www.physique-ingenierie.unistra.fr/spip.php?article63) to evaluate the impact on diffuse axonal injuries and subdural hematomas has previously demonstrated that Ribcaps provide "significant head protection and may prevent head trauma in a number of head impact situations". With IRB approval, Ribcap was tested in an acute care population to evaluate patient satisfaction and clinical impact.

The Results

Ribcap was implemented in a pilot area at the UAMS Medical Center, Little Arkansas, US (uamshealth.com) in March of 2015.

Patients prioritized for using Ribcap included those with:

• Low platelet counts
• Anticoagulant therapy
• Unsteady gait
• Weakness and fatigue
• Chemotherapy

Since initiation of the trial there have been no head injuries on the pilot unit.

Patients and their families have been overwhelmingly complimentary of the Ribcaps and they have even observed patients returning for subsequent admissions still using their Ribcaps. Use of the Ribcaps is being implemented across the hospital and the clinical criteria for using Ribcap has expanded to any patient with a coagulopathy or those at risk for a fall that staff feel would benefit from having a padded cap.

Features

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Ribcap is based on a totally new idea: soft protection with style.

• Washable
• 100% breathable
• Foldable and storable
• Light and comfortable to wear
• 6 different sizes for a perfect fit
• Unique - no comparable product on the market
• XL: Lenny grey/anthracite
• Small & medium also fit children, small (5-8y) & medium (9-12y)
• Weight: 120g-200g (depending on size)

For further information visit: www.ribcap.com

Attribution/Source(s):

This quality-reviewed article relating to our Home Medical Devices section was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World due to its likely interest to our disability community readers. Though the content may have been edited for style, clarity, or length, the article "Ribcap Protective Hats For Fall Risk Patients" was originally written by Ribcap, and published by Disabled-World.com on 2017/03/25 (Updated: 2020/03/18). Should you require further information or clarification, Ribcap can be contacted at www.ribcap.com. Disabled World makes no warranties or representations in connection therewith.

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