![]() ![]() The FDA highlighted some of the potential risks of bed rails: The regulations put in place are sometimes ignored or overlooked which can have a harmful effect on the care of nursing home residents. The FDA found 531 rail-related deaths occurred from 1985 to 2013 (2013 was the most recent period in that it conducted the analysis).Īccording to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Pennsylvania nursing homes have reduced the use of physical restraints such as bedrails or ties to beds or wheelchairs by 97.6 percent from 1996 to 2015.Įven with the current rules and regulations in place and the drastic reduction in the use of restraints in nursing homes the injuries and dangers that result still remain. “Even when portable bed rails and hospital bed rails are properly designed to reduce the risk of entrapment or falls, are compatible with the bed and mattress, and are used appropriately, they can present a hazard to certain individuals, particularly to people with physical limitations or altered mental status, such as dementia or delirium,” the FDA reports on its website. They can fall from greater heights if they attempt to climb over them and sustain more serious injuries (especially head injuries). Rails can be especially hazardous for residents suffering from dementia. However they often have the opposite result and lead to more injuries, deaths, and deprive the residents of their dignity and freedom. The goals of the restraints were to improve resident safety in nursing homes. ![]() This law included a prohibition on restraints being used for the purpose of discipline or staff convenience and not for medical purposes. This movement has been growing ever since Congress enacted the Nursing Home Reform Act in 1987. Over the last few decades there has been a movement to reduce bed rails and other variations of restraints that are used on nursing home residents. ![]()
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