2020-2021 Purchasing Guide Volume 2

HEALTHCARE | Beds & Accessories

Challenge The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received reports of hundreds of incidents of patients being caught, trapped, entangled, or strangled in beds with rails. Residents can also become entrapped in the space between the bed rail and the mattress, the head board, or the foot board. Solution We carry a variety of products that comply with CMS guidelines for safer beds that minimize hazards and resultant injuries. Familiarize yourself with the seven zones in the hospital bed where entrapment can occur. You can protect your residents and help avoid the following CMS citations:

• F323 - Make sure nursing home area is free from accident hazards and risks and provide supervision to prevent avoidable accidents.

• F465 - The facility must provide a safe, functional, sanitary, and comfortable environment for residents, staff, and the public.

Zones of Entrapment: Within the rail.

ZONE 1 ZONE 2 ZONE 3 ZONE 4 ZONE 5 ZONE 6

Between the top of the compressed mattress and the bottom of the rail, between rail supports. Between the rail and the mattress. Between the top of the compressed mattress and the bottom of the rail, at the end of the rail. Between the split bed rails. Between the end of the rail and the side edge of the head or foot board. Between the head or foot board and the mattress end.

ZONE 7

Most individuals can rest in bed safely without bed rails. Consider the following: • Use beds that can be raised and lowered close to the floor to accommodate both individual and health care worker needs. • Keep the bed in the lowest position with wheels locked. • When an individual is at risk of falling out of bed, place mats next to the bed, as long as this does not create a greater risk of accident.

• Use transfer or mobility aids. • Monitor individuals frequently.

• Anticipate the reasons individuals get out of bed, such as hunger, thirst, going to the bathroom, restlessness, and pain; meet these needs by offering food and fluids, scheduling ample toileting, and providing calming interventions and pain relief.

When bed rails are used, perform an ongoing assessment of the individual's physical and mental status; closely monitor high-risk individuals. Consider the following:

• Lower one or more sections of the bed rail, such as the foot rail. • Use a proper size mattress or mattress with raised foam edges to prevent individuals from being trapped between the mattress and rail. • Reduce the gaps between the mattress and side rails.

Excerpted from “A Guide To Bed Safety,” published by the Hospital Bed Safety Workgroup.

CHTC053a - 12-14-15

1954

Healthcare

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