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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Deaths caused by bedrails | | Author(s) | Kara Parker |
| Journal title | Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, vol 45, no 7, July 1997 |
| Pages | pp 797-802 |
| Keywords | Bed aids ; Restriction ; Safety devices ; Death ; In-patients ; Hospital services ; Nursing homes ; United States of America. |
| Annotation | Bedrails are used extensively in hospitals and nursing homes in the United States (US), however, the risks or benefits of bedrails have not been greatly researched. The aim of this study was to determine how bedrails cause death in order to suggest clinical and ergonomic changes to prevent such deaths. A review was conducted of reports of adult deaths and injuries from bedrails contained in the US Consumer Product Safety Commission Death Certificate File and its National Injury Information Clearinghouse Accident Investigations from 1993 to 1996. The major patterns of death were reconstructed, re-enacted, and graphically depicted. In total, 74 deaths were found, and were categorised into three types. The authors conclude that deaths from bedrails are under-recognised and preventable clinical events that can occur in any medical setting. Preventing such deaths will require a unified redesign of the relationships between rails, mattresses, and beds. Clinicians can prevent many of these deaths by using bedrails more judiciously, confirming the proper relationships between beds, rails and mattresses, and using alarms. (AKM). |
| Accession Number | CPA-980917401 A |
| Classmark | MT: 5RC: OT: CW: LF7: LD: LHB: 7T |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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