Reducing health and budget risks - one floor at a time

According to the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, up to 20 percent of individuals fall at least once during their stay at a healthcare facility. Falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries to those over 65-years old in the United States.[i]

Slip-and-fall injuries do not just risk the health of residents; they put the economic health of the facility at risk as well. Financial restraints stemming from the recession have triggered stringent insurance policies, putting additional tension on healthcare budgets. In fact, since October 2008, Medicare and private insurers no longer cover preventable in-hospital injuries and hospital-acquired infections – healthcare facilities are responsible for 100 percent of all costs.

To break it down into dollars and cents, the average cost of a slip-and-fall injury ranges from $20,000 to as much as $28,000, according to the National Safety Council – and that number is non-inclusive of potential lawsuits.

A Safe Surfacing Solution

So what can healthcare facility managers do to reduce the risk of resident – as well as visitor and caregiver – falls and protect their budgets? One solution can be found right below their feet.

Flooring, the most pervasive surface within a healthcare facility, is also often the most overlooked as a design element influencing health and safety. Proper flooring selection for use in a healthcare environment requires knowledge of technical subjects, including acoustics, biomechanics, safety and maintenance, to ensure positive patient outcomes and staff performance. However, among the healthcare flooring options currently available, the positive power of carpeting has proven itself time and time again as a substantiated and safe solution.

In fact, carpeting reduces the risk of resident falls, as well as that of caregiver and visitor falls, by offering a non-slip surface in high-traffic areas. Studies show there is a 46-percent risk of injury from a fall on a hard surface, compared to 17-percent risk with a carpeted surface.[ii] And, if by chance a fall occurs despite the non-slip surface, carpet can potentially reduce the severity of injuries by cushioning the impact – which may lower the average cost of injury.

Underfoot Benefits of Carpeting

Aside from reducing the risk of slip-and-fall injuries, carpeting provides healthcare and eldercare spaces many other healing advantages. One major challenge carpeting combats is healthcare acquired infections (HAIs), which cause more than 100,000 deaths a year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).[iii] 

In consideration of the elderly's susceptibility to HAIs, preventative measures must be in place within eldercare and long-term facilities especially. Carpeting greatly contributes to these measures: according to a 2007 study, tests showed hard-surfaced flooring, such as vinyl and linoleum, were possibly more likely to transmit a bacterial infection than carpeted flooring.[iv] While this may surprise some, a similar 2008 study found carpet actually decreases the likelihood of transmitting infections because of its ability to sequester biological contaminants until they can be removed by proper cleaning, according to researchers.[v]

Carpeting also helps residents breathe better. Because high-traffic areas often stir up airborne particulates, patients, caregivers and visitors could potentially inhale the aftermath. To avoid this, carpets trap the particulates and keep dust and allergen levels out of reach of an individual's breathing zone.

As the elderly naturally experience reduced hearing loss, good acoustics are vital to ensure their comfort and sense of well-being. Loud and high frequency noise is especially problematic for those in various stages of dementia. It is equally important for caregiver productivity that echoes and background noises are reduced. Carpeting adds to acoustical improvement within healthcare spaces, which can ultimately result in better speech recognition, reduced medical errors, increased productivity and better patient survey ratings.

The right flooring option can not only contribute greatly to patient comfort and safety, but to caregiver comfort and safety. Because caregivers are on their feet a majority of the day, it is important to provide maximum caregiver underfoot comfort and/or minimum-rolling resistance, such as a modular or broadloom carpet with a non-cushioned PVC or thermoplastic performance backing coupled with a dense, low-pile face construction, to prevent lost-time injuries – protecting the staff's and the facility's bottom-line.

A Final Word on Flooring

It is clear now more than ever healthcare facilities must weave safety considerations into their very design to assure both the health of their patients and staff as well as the stability of their budgets. Following suit, many flooring manufacturers recognize the significance of providing facilities with technology that has proven its risk prevention value in the healthcare environment, and continue to research new ways to merge safety and functionality within their flooring options.

Keith Gray is director of technical marketing for The Mohawk Group and its four brands – Karastan, Lees, Bigelow and Durkan.