Long-Term Care Survey Alert

Published on Fri May 23, 2008 PDF

Question: Would you count a half rail as a restraint if the resident uses it to pull up in bed and is able to easily get out of bed with it in place, but can't easily remove the half rail? No one could easily remove it.

Answer: If the resident can get out of bed with a half bedrail in place, then it's not preventing him from getting out of bed if he desires. Thus, consultant Marilyn Mines, RN, RAC-C, BC, a consultant in Deerfield, IL, says she would not consider it a restraint because it does not restrict the person's freedom of movement in and out of the bed. If the half rail is used to promote transfer and/or bed mobility, it's an enabler. Although siderails would not trigger a RAP, you can explain their use in a summary of all the RAPs or in another RAP where appropriate, Mines says. The use of side rails as an enabler is also identified in Section G6b (bedrail used for bed mobility or transfer). If the use of the rail not only improves the resident's mobility but prevents the resident from movement or access to the body, then the bed rail would also be a restraint.