Practice Safe Sleeping?

A client of ours was recently involved in a near bed entrapment. This client was not in a hospital bed at the time. In fact, he had a hospital bed at his home for a short time but voluntarily discontinued use of the hospital bed, opting instead to use an adjustable bed intended for home use rather than home-care use.

Our client is an incomplete quad that was self-catheterizing while lying on a low-air-loss surface. My client is a little hazy on the details, but the air sacs of the sleep surface collapsed under him resulting in his head getting caught between the mattress and the wall (there is no headboard).

After the event, we re-instructed the client on proper use of the bed and to make sure that the sleep surface pump is at the 'full' setting to make the surface as supportive as possible during activities and transfers. We also discovered that the bed had moved away from the wall creating the space to entrap the client's head. After moving the bed back into position, we re-offered the use of the hospital bed with attached headboard that would prevent future issues.

The FDA has a great site with non-binding recommendations for manufacturers and purchasers of hospital beds to prevent entrapment. The document also outlines the testing procedures and tools needed for testing a bed for risk of entrapment. This information can be very helpful to put a nervous client at ease or investigating cause after an event. There is also a great list of other documents and brochures that can be viewed/downloaded regarding hospital bed safety.

Invacare has a brochure to download on their site that summarizes much of that information. It may be something to consider adding to your Patient Information and Education sheets.

The homecare environment does not allow us to keep an eye on our patients 100% of the time. How do you help keep your clients safe in bed?