2010 Volume 11 Issue 1 Pages 57-60
Serious patients' fall incidents have been increasing over the past 3 years in the ICU as a result of the height of hospital bed-rails. After testing the safety of a common ICU bed, it was found that the height of the side-rail was insufficient for the prevention of patients' falls from the bed. We therefore developed two new types of detachable fence bed guards as a countermeasure：an extra accessory rail type and an acryl board type, which were then assessed by nurses in the ICU setting. Although the impression of restraint was stronger with the accessory rail type, it allowed easy access to infusion devices and useful tube management. The acryl board type gave a much lesser restraint impression and because of its transparent material a good view all the way to the bed sheets, however, because of its weight, installation was inconvenient. In addition due to their height, both types did not enable patients to be change without detaching the guard from the bed. In conclusion, both types have considerably improved the prevention of bed falls in the ICU, however they are still inconvenient for nurses to handle and uncomfortable for the patient.
A new device is still needed to improve the prevention of bed falls including convenience for the handler and the patient.
