Case Study: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences achieves faster fall response, 11% fewer falls, 60% fewer fall-related injuries and $1.27M savings with Stryker’s Vocera solution

UAMS Uses Vocera for Fall Prevention and Other Key Processes

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) faced rising patient-safety and communication challenges after moving into a much larger facility: higher risk of inpatient falls and slower, intrusive overhead paging that made timely staff response difficult. Falls in hospitals are costly and common, and UAMS needed a more reliable way to identify at-risk patients and speed staff response across long, spread-out units.

UAMS implemented Vocera Badges with Orchestrator middleware, integrated Posey Sitter Select alarms and the West Call nurse call system, and used the Hester Davis Scale to target high-risk patients. The combined solution cut overall fall rates by 11% and fall-related injuries by 60%, producing an estimated $1.27 million in avoided costs year-over-year; Vocera reduced alarm-to-alert time to 4–5 seconds (versus 45 seconds for built-in bed alarms) and also improved communication and workflow across ED, respiratory therapy, pharmacy, telemetry, volunteers and other services.

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Amy Hester

Director of Nursing Research and Innovation