Fall Prevention: Guidance on Utilization of Low Beds and Floor Mats
Up to one-half of all falls in hospitals and long-term care facilities involve falling from bed. To avoid bed falls, the usual fall preventive protocol is to maintain patient (*) beds in the low position. For some patients, the low position may not be the safest position. Some individuals may require assistance either to get out of bed, or into bed, or require the bed to be slightly higher than the low setting. The purpose of this course is to provide acute care hospital and nursing home staff with practical guidance on the utilization of low beds and floor mats in helping to prevent falls in hospitals & long term care.
(*) The term ‘patient’ is used to refer to both acute hospital patients and long-term care residents.
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Objectives
Upon completion of this course participants will be able to:
- Recognize the reasons for bed falls.
- Identify the difference between fixed and adjustable low beds.
- Explain the benefits of using adjustable low beds.
- Discuss the clinical approach to utilizing low beds.
- Describe the steps needed to achieve success with low beds.
- State the benefits of using floor mats.
- Define the appropriate use of floor mats.
Curriculum
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Causes of Bed-Related Falls
- Health Conditions
- Environmental Factors
- Situational Factors
Chapter 3: Low Beds
- Fixed Low Beds
- Adjustable Low Beds
Chapter 4: Utilizing Adjustable Low Beds
- Step 1: Assess Fall Risk from Bed
- Step 2: Assess Bed Mobility
- Step 3: Assess Need for Injurious Fall Precautions
- Step 4: Communicate Risk
- Step 5: Monitor Risk
- Step 6: Follow Up
- Step 7: Post-Fall
Chapter 5: Achieving Success with Low Beds
- “Low Bed” Nurse Coordinator
- Education
- Administrative Support
Chapter 6: Low Bed Audits
- Audit Process
Chapter 7: Floor Mats
- Selection Criteria
- Clinical Issues
- California Bill 241
- Implicit Bias in Healthcare
- What is Implicit Bias?
- Implications of Implicit Bias in Healthcare
- How to Reduce Implicit Bias
Price: $12.00
Contact Hour: 1
Course Author
Rein Tideiksaar
Rein Tideiksaar, PhD, PA-C, or Dr. Rein as he is commonly referred to, is the president of Fall Prevent, LLC, Blackwood, New Jersey, a consulting company that provides educational, legal, and marketing services related to fall prevention in the elderly.
Dr. Tideiksaar is a gerontologist, which is a health care professional who specializes in working with elderly patients, and a geriatric physician's assistant. He has been active in the area of fall prevention for over thirty years.
Course Accreditation
See our Accreditation Statements page to view our accreditation information.