Q: 84 years old male is getting discharged to long-term acute care (LTAC) facility post-stroke. Orders must be written for the use of bed rails. Bed rails in medical and institutional settings are found to be associated with a decrease in injuries and deaths in elderly patients?
A) True
B) False
Answer: B
Contrary to popular belief, falls in medical and institutional settings such as hospitals and nursing homes occur more frequently and are associated with greater morbidity than falls in the community.
Also, bedrails were found not to prevent falls but may be associated with increased injuries and deaths. On the same token, avoiding bedrails may not decrease the total number of falls but may decrease the frequency of serious falls.
#geriatric-care
#preventive-care
References:
1. Leland NE, Gozalo P, Teno J, Mor V. Falls in newly admitted nursing home residents: a national study. J Am Geriatr Soc 2012; 60:939.
2. Capezuti E, Maislin G, Strumpf N, Evans LK. Side rail use and bed-related fall outcomes among nursing home residents. J Am Geriatr Soc 2002; 50:90.
3.Hanger HC, Ball MC, Wood LA. An analysis of falls in the hospital: can we do without bedrails? J Am Geriatr Soc 1999; 47:529.
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