siderail regulation in nursing home

RNLew · Apr 15, 2011

We have a kit that mesures side rail safety for entrapment. It has several components, and found that only 1 of my side rails was "safe".

The worst side rails I found were ones being used with an air mattress. I couldn't get any airmattresses to pass the test. Although I will say that most of the openings in the rails passed. It was mainly the space between the rail and the mattress, and the space between the bed frame and the bottom of the rail.

I would have a hard time with just a simple measurement, because this does not allow for the fact that weight changes the size of the openings etc. BUT I do know there are some guidelines on the FDA website that helps you measure.

There are 4 "zones" of entrapment to look for. The first is through any holes or openings in the rail, second is between the mattress and rail, third is between the frame and the base of the rail. And the fouth, hard to describe, so please bear with me. Is the angle of the rail at the top and bottom outside angle. It ensures you cant get caught coming from higher in the bed, and your head/neck over the edge, and then get caught under the outside of the rail. That one was also impossible to pass with an air mattress. We had several different types of rails, from the top of the line "safest" joerns, to lower priced ones. The best thing I could come up with is a very thick mattress, that is very firm and wider than what we had. And all of our ones that failed were very nice brand new mattresses.

Hope that helps!

Talino · Apr 16, 2011

Hi
Is anyone familiar with siderail regulation in nursing home? How much space have to be between mattress and side rail and in each side rail space?

Hospital Bed System Dimensional and Assessment Guidance to Reduce Entrapment

Potential Zones of Entrapment - p13 (16/49)

Dimensional Limits Zone 3 (Between Rails & Mattress) - p17 (20/49)

Summary Table - p21 (24/49)