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MEETING PATIENTS' NEEDS FOR SAFETY
Most patients can be in bed safely without bed rails. Consider the following:
● Use beds that can be raised and lowered close to the floor to accommodate
both patient and health care worker needs.
● Keep the bed in the lowest position with wheels locked.
● When the patient 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 patients frequently.
● Anticipate the reasons patients 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 on-going assessment of the patient's
physical and mental status; closely monitor high-risk patients. 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
patients from being trapped between the mattress and rail.
● Reduce the gaps between the mattress and side rails.
PATIENT OR FAMILY CONCERNS ABOUT BED RAIL USE
If patients or family ask about using bed rails, health care providers should:
● Encourage patients or family to talk to their health care planning team to
determine whether or not bed rails are indicated.
● Reassure patients and their families that in many cases the patient can sleep
safely without bed rails.
● Reassess the need for using bed rails on a frequent, regular basis.
To report an adverse event or medical device problem,
please call FDA's MedWatch Reporting Program
For additional information, visit the FDA's website at:
http://www.fda.gov/medicaldevices
26
at 1-800-FDA-1088.
User Manual & Entrapment Guide
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