Bed rails may seem to be a simple apparatus used in different care settings yet it’s importance cannot be ruled out. Standards / guidelines regarding the use of bed rails specific to India needs to be developed or it could be my lack of knowledge on the subject matter because I could not find any relevant information.
The attached document on bed rails (Source: Health and Safety Executive) should be useful for service providers who are offering residential or domiciliary care.
It will become imperative in the coming years that similar guidelines should be drafted at the national level to ensure standardization of care across the country.
What is the risk?
Bed rails, also known as side rails or cot sides, are widely used to reduce the risk of falls. Although not suitable for everyone, they can be very effective when used with the right bed, in the right way, for the right person.
However, accident data shows that bed rails sometimes don’t prevent falls and can introduce other risks.
Poorly fitting bed rails have caused deaths where a person’s neck, chest or limbs become trapped in gaps between the bed rails or between the bed rail and the bed, headboard, or mattress.
Other risks are:
- Rolling over the top of the rail
- Climbing over the rail
- Climbing over the footboard
- Violently shaking and dislodging rails
- Violent contact with bedrail parts
In UK, bed rails are ‘medical devices’, which fall under the authority of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). MHRA enforces the Medical Devices Regulations and the General Product Safety Regulations to ensure medical devices are acceptably safe.
What do you need to do?
When bed rails are used during the course of a work activity, such as in a care home or hospital, the employer or self-employed person providing them must ensure that they are safe.
Risks identified during inspection include:
- Trapping between poorly fitting mattresses and bedrails
- Rolling over the top of the bedrails when overlay mattresses reduce their effective height
- Trapping between the bedrail and mattress, headboard or other parts because of poor bedrail positioning.
Bed rails need careful management. Users should ensure:
- They are only provided when they are the right solution to prevent falls
- A risk assessment is carried out by a competent person taking into account the bed occupant, the bed, mattresses, bed rails and all associated equipment
- The rail is suitable for the bed and mattress
- The mattress fits snugly between the rails
- The rail is correctly fitted, secure, regularly inspected and maintained
- Gaps that could cause entrapment of neck, head and chest are eliminated
- Staff are trained in the risks and safe use of bed rails
The document can be accessed on https://www.safetybusiness.co.uk/ or can be downloaded here (Safe Use of Bed Rails) or can be viewed below