How feasible was a bed-height alert system?

This qualitative and descriptive study examined the feasibility of a bed-height alert system as a fall-prevention strategy. The alpha prototype was developed to measure and record bed height, and to remind staff to keep patient beds in the lowest position. This pilot project was conducted in a 52-bed adult acute surgical inpatient care unit of a Michigan community hospital. Qualitative and quantitative information was gathered during semistructured interviews of nursing staff (18 RNs and 13 PCAs; January-April 2011). Descriptive content analysis and descriptive analyses were performed. The overall response rate was 44.9%. The mean values of the feasibility questions are all favorable. Staff's comments also support the view that the alert system would promote patient safety and prevent falls. In short, this system was found to be somewhat useful, feasible, appropriate, and accurate. It has the potential to promote patient safety and prevent bed-associated injurious falls in inpatient care settings.

Keeping patient beds in a low position: an exploratory descriptive study to continuously monitor the height of patient beds in an adult acute surgical inpatient care setting.

This descriptive study was intended to measure the percentage of the time that patient beds were kept in high position in an adult acute inpatient surgical unit with medical overflow in a community hospital in Michigan, United States. The percentage of the time was calculated for morning, evening, and night shifts. The results showed that overall, occupied beds were in a high position 5.6% of the time: 5.40% in the day shift, 6.88% in the evening shift, and 4.38% in the night shift. It is recognized that this study was unable to differentiate whether those times patient beds being kept in a high position were appropriate for an elevated bed height (e.g., staff were working with the patient). Further research is warranted. Falls committees may conduct high-bed prevalence surveys in a regular basis as a proxy to monitor staff members' behaviors in keeping beds in a high position.