Preventing Falls Out of Bed: Safer Than Bed Rails
There is an increased risk of falling among the frail patient population of nursing homes. The risk even exists for patients while they are in bed and roll off onto the floor.
Bed rails are the first thing a lay family member may suggest; however, a leading cause of strangulation of patients in nursing homes is bed rails. It may be counterintuitive that a bed rail, customarily thought of as protecting patients from falling out of bed, can cause more harm than good.
Yet, it’s a fact that a poorly designed bed rail is a deadly instrument when a patient’s body is caught between the bed rail and the mattress. This configuration constricts the patient’s chest thereby causing death by strangulation.
There are safer and more efficient ways of minimizing the risk of a patient falling out of bed, such as lowering the mattress or placing the mattress on the floor.
