Presentation
Impact of Hospital Bed height on the Perceived Stability and Difficulty During Bed Egress and Ingress
Event Type
Oral Presentations
TimeThursday, June 9th12:00pm - 12:30pm EDT
Location
DescriptionFalls in hospitals are a common and costly occurrence, with up to 1 million patients experiencing an in-hospital fall each year (AHRQ). Minimizing fall risk is critical as falls are known to increase length of hospital stay, increase cost of care, and lead to injuries. It has been found that nearly one-third of in-hospital falls can be preventable (AHRQ). One area of fall risk is during hospital bed ingress and egress. The height of the hospital bed has the potential to impact fall risk during these maneuvers. Additional factors that may also increase fall risk include the height of the individual relative to the height of the bed and the type of mattress on the bed. There is a common belief that the lower the bed can be maneuvered during ingress/egress the lower the fall risk. However, from a biomechanical perspective this may not be true, especially for individuals of taller stature. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the perceived difficulty and stability during ingress and egress maneuvers over a range of bed heights and and while using multiple different types of mattresses. Individuals were recruited from various height categories and completed repeated ingress and egress trials as the bed was raised or lowered (randomized) in one inch increments across the total range of the bed height. After each trial participants were asked to rate how difficult it was to ingress or egress (0=not at all difficult, 10=extremely difficult) and how stable they felt during each maneuver (0=not at all stable, 10=extremely stable). While in general, both difficulty and instability were greatest at the highest bed heights, the lowest bed heights also showed some increase in perceived difficulty and instability. Mattress firmness also impacted perceived ratings as well.