Between 1985 and January 1, 2009, there were 803 incidents of patients caught, trapped, entangled or strangled in nursing home and hospital beds with rails reported to the
Food and Drug Administration. Of these reports, 480 people died, 138 had a nonfatal injury and 185 were not injured because staff intervened.
As these numbers suggest, bed rail entrapment prevention is of the utmost importance in long term care. As a leading manufacturer of long term care beds, Invacare is committed to raising awareness of preventative measures to reduce the risk of entrapment.
In addition to providing a new “Bed Rail Entrapment Risk Notification Guide” with each new bed system, Invacare urges facilities to regularly test existing bed systems for resident safety and reduce risk of entrapment. Only through consistent testing of each bed system in your facility can you ensure the bed is in compliance with voluntary FDA Entrapment Guidelines. Even if the mattress, rails and bed are in compliance at time of purchase, they must be tested on an ongoing basis, as normal wear and tear affect performance.
To learn more about properly testing a bed system's 4 Critical Entrapment Zones, visit the FDA Entrapment Guidelines section here.
Lauren Hickey is the business unit manager for long-term care beds and accessories at Invacare, a global leader in the manufacture of home and long-term care medical equipment.