Fall prevention vs fall detection.
The device you choose decides how many seconds your caregivers get. Here's how predictive bed-exit alerting compares with pressure pads, infrared and thermal sensors, cameras, wearables and bed rails.
The full comparison
| Capability | Pressure pad | Infrared / thermal | Camera (optical) | Wearable pendant | Bed rail | BedExit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approach | Detect (after weight off) | Detect (after motion) | Detect (after impact) | Detect (after impact) | Physical barrier | Predict (before rising) |
| Warning window | ~2–7 sec | After exit | After fall | After fall | — | ~10–15 sec |
| Nothing worn by patient | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Works in total darkness | Yes | Varies | Needs light/IR | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| No line-of-sight / no blind spots | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Any exit direction | Edge-dependent | No | View-dependent | Yes | Blocks one side | Yes |
| No false alarms from sun/heat | Yes | No | Varies | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Privacy (no images/audio) | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works if patient removes devices | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Restraint-free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Comparison reflects the typical behaviour of each category of device. Individual products vary. "Warning window" is the approximate time between the alert and the patient being on their feet.
Pressure pads: the response window is too small
A weight-off-bed pad can only fire once the patient's weight has already left the mattress. On a frail resident that can be 2–7 seconds before they're upright — not enough for a caregiver at the other end of the ward. Pads also wear out, degrade with cleaning, and generate false alarms from ordinary tossing and turning, which trains staff to ignore them.
Infrared & thermal: blind spots and false triggers
Optical and thermal sensors need a clear line of sight and detect heat differentials. In a real room that means blind spots behind furniture or curtains, missed exits from the far side of the bed, and false alarms from sunlight through a window, a room heater, a fan or a pet. BedExit needs no line of sight and ignores room temperature and lighting entirely.
Cameras: privacy families won't accept
An optical camera turns a bedroom into a surveilled space. Families reject it, occlusion from blankets defeats it, and it still only registers the fall after impact. BedExit uses no camera and no microphone — there is nothing to see and nothing to overhear.
Wearables: only work if they're worn
Pendants and wristbands must be worn, charged and remembered — and dementia patients routinely take them off. A device that depends on patient compliance stops working exactly when it's needed most. BedExit asks nothing of the patient.
Bed rails: a barrier, not a warning
Rails are India's default, but they don't prevent the attempt — a determined resident climbs over, sometimes falling from a greater height, and rails count as a physical restraint that regulators and families increasingly discourage. BedExit is restraint-free: it lets the patient be, and warns staff early.