Health Canada has issued an important safety information update on the risk of entrapment of patients in hospital beds.
According to the notice, Health Canada continues to receive reports of serious incidents resulting from bed entrapment. Twelve additional incidents including 3 deaths have been reported to Health Canada since the issuance of a Notice to Hospitals in October 2009. Eight out of the 12 cases (67%) occurred in nursing homes or long-term care facilities while the remaining incidents happened in hospitals or at home.
To reduce the risk of bed entrapment in health care facilities, Health Canada advised that institutions should verify and ensure that replacement mattresses are the correct size for the bed frame and should consult the Fact Sheet "Bed rails in hospitals, nursing homes and home health care".
For more details, please refer to the link:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/medeff/advisories-avis/prof/_2012/hospital_bed-lit_hopital_2_nth-aah-eng.php
Posted on 14 August 2012