Hospital Bed Side Rails Are Safe Enough
So who here supported abolishing hospital bed side rails in nursing homes? Let me at ‘em! We need to debate this again. Some people need those bed side rails. Not everyone views them as impinging on their freedom, which seems to be the assumption of the poponents of this movement to delete the rails from all beds in hospital settings. Some radical activist groups probably pushed for this; people that never spent one day in a nursing home, yet think they know best for the patients there. While I agree that no one should be forced to have the bed side rails up if they feel too confined, it’s nonetheless ludicrous to completely remove these safety rails from all beds.
We’ve been informed recently by officials at Mom’s new nursing home that it’s now state (PA) policy NOT to include hospital bed side rails of any sort; not even the very adjustable kinds. We’ve heard this from three facilities now, so it must be a trend.
Instead of removing all bed side rails, people should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine their ability to safely handle them. We should not assume that the bed safety rails pose a safety hazard for all who use them.
Yep, they’ve taken this whole entrapment issue with hospital bed side rails too far. Our Mom has polyneuropathy in her legs and she also tends to move around in bed while asleep. These two together can make for extremely uncomfortable times for her. Indeed, what has happened to her in beds without the safety rails to keep her legs in, is that they fall over the side while she’s sleeping. The resulting sudden bending motion of this causes her great pain; enough to make her scream out. She wants the bed safety rails but has not received them at her nursing care facility so far.
Sometimes, these bed side rails serve a useful and protective purpose for many patients. Some for example, require them to keep their legs from falling out, and to prevent a most painful situation for those experiencing various sorts of leg distress. No hospital bed safety rails at all is by no means a one-size-fits all solution therefore. I find it unfathomable that of all the patients that used these rails in recent years, that enough of them had accidents because of them to justify their complete removal. We do not stop flying just because one two, or fifty airplanes crash. Instead, we make the planes safer. The same should be done with these safety rails because for many folks, hospital bed side rails are safe enough.
February 17th, 2011 at 5:24 am
We’ve observed this bed rails abolishment in action (or about to be adopted) in three nursing homes in this area. As I understand it, this is coming to all state-funded facilities in PA eventually. I agree, the new no-rails policy does seem all-too-much like a penny wise but pound foolish solution.
It could be that they’re trying to head off caretakers who abuse the rails and use them to confine or entrap the bed occupants, to make their own jobs easier. But it seems like they could have devised a more intermediate answer, than to simply remove the rails altogether. Some patients want the rails.