Provide Better Care And Safety With Hospital Bed Side Rails

Proper care before, during, and after any treatment course is critical for a patient’s recovery. Hospitals provide this much-needed recuperative care to patients and help them heal in a secure, comfortable setting. A good-quality hospital bed is a primary requirement to ensure patients feel comfortable and don’t experience pain and bed sores. These beds should have strong railings to support patients and prevent risks. Read on to learn more about the benefits of bedside rails.

Benefits Of Rails in Hospital Beds

Support for sitting up or rising from the bed

Patients may face mobility issues, making it challenging to get up from hospital beds. These beds must have rails that can aid patients in changing their positions, sitting up, or getting out of bed. The use of bed rails can also lessen the physical exertion that caregivers need to exert to help the patient move.

Optimal safety

Bed rails are like protective fences around the hospital bed, preventing patients from falling off the floor, especially in their sleep.

Help with changing positions while in bed

Lying in the same position throughout the day can cause discomfort and develop bed sores and rashes. Patients need to change their positions now and then to feel comfortable. Hospital bed rails help change positions easily while eliminating the risk of falling off.

Better access to objects kept around the bed

When beds don’t have rails, it can get difficult and risky for patients to lean over and reach out to something placed around the bed, such as on a side table. With bed rails, one can easily hold on to these rails and reach out to objects around

Types of bed rails

Half-length bed rails

Half-length bed rails do not cover the full length of the bed, only the reclining portion. These rails are great for patients who need support when the reclining hospital bed is adjusted to a seating position. However, they also risk the patient skidding from the bed because the railings do not cover the entire length. They are ideal for patients who have mobility issues but can manage to step out of bed with some support.

Full-length bed rails

These rails cover the entire length of the hospital bed, eliminating the risk of patients falling off it, especially when asleep or changing positions. Often, when patients with cognitive disorders like dementia are hospitalized, they might need to be allotted beds with full-length rails because there is a risk of them trying to get out of bed in a risky way.

Trapeze bars

Trapeze bars, located on the bed’s head or as a free-standing rail, are also becoming popular because they help patients rise from bed easily. They may be highly suitable for patients with insufficient strength in their upper bodies. Trapeze bars allow capable patients to reposition themselves or pivot without assistance. It also aids patients who need help lifting themselves into a particular position or getting out of bed.

Flip-up half-bed rails

Unlike the regular half-length bed rails, which can move only up and down, flip-up rails can also rotate to vertical positions. So, they double up as canes when patients need support while rising from or getting in bed, besides protecting the patient when they are lying on the bed.

Other essential hospital bed accessories

Bed tables

Patients recuperating at hospitals need a steady surface for their daily activities, which hospital bed tables provide. These tables need to be lightweight and sturdy so that patients and caregivers can easily handle them, and patients can rest their weight on the tables if they desire without the fear of the table slipping off.

Mattresses

Staying in bed for long hours may cause bed sores and severe postural issues for patients, so hospital bed mattresses should be airy and provide sufficient pressure relief to prevent these problems. Mattress types like gel, air, innerspring, and foam evenly distribute a patient’s weight across their surfaces, so they are best suited for hospital beds.

Overlays

For additional support, it is a good idea for hospitals to invest in bed overlays, which are toppers laid over the mattress for better blood circulation and to prevent bed sores and rashes. Also, because they evenly distribute a patient’s weight, they are great for posture and to prevent back pain.

Wedge pillows

These elevated triangular pillows can raise the head to 10 inches from the bed, preventing neck pain when one has to read or engage in some other activity while lying in bed. They also help with stomach problems like acid reflux, which may increase when a person is sedentary throughout the day.

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