New bedside pressure monitoring system on trial at The Royal Oldham Hospital

Pauline Abraham, Ward Manager at The Royal Oldham Hospital with the new bedside pressure monitoring device

The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is trialling a new bedside pressure monitoring device which has the potential to significantly reduce the incidence of pressure ulcers (bed sores) in patients.

The system on trial at Ward F10 General Medicine at The Royal Oldham Hospital uses a pressure sensing mat filled with thousands of tiny sensors to show where patients are experiencing areas of high pressure when laying and resting in bed. This information is sent to a monitor attached to the mat which shows areas of high pressure as red and orange, and lower pressure areas as green and blue.

Staff and carers can reposition the patient using small ‘micro-movements’ to reduce pressures dramatically, which is particularly effective for people where full body repositioning or even turning may be restricted.

Alarms can also be set as reminders for carers to check if a patient needs repositioning or not.

The Monitor Alert Protect (M.A.P) system on trial is produced by Sidhil and costs in the region of £5,000. Only two other Trusts in the country use the system at present. The open-ended trial is initially running for two months, during which time the Trust will assess its effectiveness.

If the Pennine Acute Trust, which manages The Royal Oldham Hospital, North Manchester General Hospital, Fairfield General Hospital in Bury, Rochdale Infirmary and community services, does decide to purchase the equipment, it would be used for training purposes and on high risk patients.

Reducing the incidence of pressure ulcers plays a vital role in improving outcomes for individuals as well as reducing the costs associated with treatment.

Figures from Health Service Monitor in 2013 suggest that the prevalence rate of pressure ulcers in healthcare environments is 4.7%. Quite apart from the unnecessary suffering caused, the daily costs of treating a pressure ulcer are estimated to range from £43 to £374.

Charlotte Dent, Quality Matron for Medicine at The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said:
“Trialling this new high tech piece of equipment is exciting and highlights our team approach at The Royal Oldham Hospital to consistently use best practice to improve patient care. We are continually striving to reduce hospital harms to our patients and this is seen in the enthusiasm the team on ward F10 have by showing their commitment to reducing pressure ulcers and embracing the evaluation of the MAP system.”