What Injuries Can Bedrails Cause in a Nursing Home?

One of the questions I get frequently from callers is whether a nursing home is allowed to use bedrails. And you might wonder why am I getting that question. And the reason is because a lot of times people will call and say, I told the facility that my mom is a fall risk and I want her to have bedrails so she doesn’t roll out of bed or fall out of bed. And the facility told me that bedrails are illegal. Is that true? That’s the question I get. And here’s what I tell people. It’s not illegal to use bedrails in a nursing home. In fact, if you look up the Code of Federal Regulations 42 CFR Section 483.25, you will find in subsection N, as in Nancy, specifically deals with bedrails, okay? Here’s what it says. The facility must attempt to use appropriate alternatives prior to installing a side or bed rail. The reason they’re supposed to use alternatives is because bed rails can be a choking hazard.

Residents have been known to roll over and choke on a bed rail. It’s very sad but it does happen, okay? That’s why they’re supposed to use alternatives if they can. If they can’t and if the family approves, they can use bedrails to help prevent falling or to help with mobility of the resident. For example, the resident needs to turn their reposition so they need to grab onto bedrails. The use of bedrails in a nursing home is not illegal. They just have to do it right.