What is the proper way to make a hospital bed?

Making a bed quickly, safely, and neatly is a core caregiver skill. A clean and comfortable bed promotes health and hygiene, while a soiled or poorly made bed contributes to infection, discomfort, and even injuries such as pressure sores. 

With competitive price and timely delivery, Pukang sincerely hope to be your supplier and partner.

The nursing profession perfected bedmaking long ago, both for occupied and unoccupied beds. But making a home hospital bed can be challenging when your only experience of bedmaking is changing the sheets of your regular bed at home. 

This article will look at some top tips nurses use to make hospital beds quickly to provide a healthy and comfortable environment for their patients. 

What Kind of Sheets Do You Use for a Hospital Bed?

Before we get to the practicalities of making a hospital bed, we should talk about bed linen and its impact on the bedmaking process. If you would like to learn how to choose the best linen for an adjustable bed, take a look at our Hospital Bed Sheets Guide.  For now, we&#;ll summarize some advice relevant to bedmaking. 

• Fitted sheets can be a big time saver. They&#;re easier to put on when you haven&#;t mastered the art of hospital corners, and they are less likely to slip off when the bed&#;s adjustments are raised or lowered. 

• Ensure that the bed&#;s sheets are the right size. Undersized sheets quickly become untucked, and oversized sheets wrinkle and bunch up, creating fall hazards and pressure sore risks.

• Waterproof sheets can expedite cleanup, but you may want to consider a soft waterproof mattress cover instead. All of our

  home hospital bed mattresses

  are available with a waterproof stretch fabric cover.

Preparing to Make a Hospital Bed

Bed making should be as fast and straightforward as possible, especially if you are changing the bed while it&#;s still occupied. It&#;s best to prepare yourself and your equipment in advance. 

You may need:

• An upper and a lower sheet.

• Clean pillowcases. 

• A laundry bag or basket to put the old linen in. 

• Cleaning products.

• Disposable gloves. 

• A facemask if infection control is an issue ( during the current pandemic, it almost certainly is an issue). 

Before you begin making the bed, you should wash your hands and put on suitable personal protective equipment. 

Making an Unoccupied Home Hospital Bed

Here&#;s a simple seven-step process for efficiently making an adjustable bed. If you are making a height-adjustable bed, set it to a comfortable height before you begin. Excessive reaching and stretching can cause back and shoulder injuries. 

1. Remove the old sheets and pillowcases, placing them in the laundry bag. Clear them away immediately to avoid cross-contamination. 

2. Wipe down the bed&#;s surfaces with an antibacterial cleaner, including the waterproof mattress cover, to remove moisture and bacteria that may be growing there.

3. Place the bottom sheet on the bed, ensuring it&#;s centered with an even overhang on all edges and that it fits the mattress properly. If you are using a fitted sheet, make sure the elasticated edges are firmly tucked under the mattress. 

4. If you are not using fitted sheets, miter the corners by tucking the overhang at the bed&#;s foot under the mattress, followed by each side, creating a neat 45° fold. 

5. Be certain there are no wrinkles or rucked up areas on the sheet. This is a crucial step because wrinkles are a health hazard; they harbor moisture and microbes, and they increase the risk of pressure sores. 

6. Add the top-sheet following the same procedure, but fold it down at the top, leaving sufficient space for the bed&#;s occupant to get under it. 

7. Put the pillows in fresh cases, put them on the bed, and add any top blanket or covering. 

Be sure to dispose of your PPE and wash the soiled sheets as soon as possible. 

Making a Hospital Bed When It Is Occupied

Making a bed with someone on it is a more complex procedure. The standard approach is to make the bed in &#;halves&#;, rolling the patient over as you complete each half. For example, to remove the bottom sheet:

Are you interested in learning more about icu bed manufacturer? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!

• Position the patient on one side of the bed.

• Untuck the sheet on the other side and tightly roll the free part towards the center of the bed. 

• Move the patient to the opposite side of the bed and remove the sheet. 

For many patients, this will involve rolling them on their side, but you may need to make the bed lengthwise, the top, and then the bottom, for patients who cannot be rolled on their side. 

Making a bed is an essential aspect of caregiving. If you have any doubts about safely completing the process, ask a friend or family member with nursing experience to show you how it&#;s done. 

How to Make a Hospital Bed

• Posted by MEDtegrity on Wed, May 09,

Knowing how to make a hospital bed safely and hygienically is so important in patient care. A properly-made hospital bed ensures that patients are not only comfortable and cared for, but that they are also safe from bed-related risks such as ulcer growths and cross-contamination.

How to Make a Hospital Bed

1. Suit Up

Wear the proper protective gear before cleaning up hospital beds. There are all sorts of pathogens that could be harbored in those dirty linens so suit up with gloves and a mask.

2. Bring the Essentials

Bring all the necessary tools: clean sheets, linens, laundry bags, disposable gloves, and waterproof pads if applicable.

3. Remove Personal Items from the Bed

Patients sometimes leave personal items like glasses or wallets in their beds. Make sure to remove these items and put them in a safe place before removing the dirty linens.

4. Remove Sheets

Carefully remove sheets, making sure you are not agitating them in the process if they are soiled. Place them in the appropriate containers.

5. Place Bottom Sheet

Make sure that the center fold of the sheet is right in the middle of the bed. Secure sides by mitering if the sheets are not the fitted kind.

6. Place All the Other Sheet Layers

Make sure the center fold is in the middle of the bed and that all the sides and ends are tucked under the mattress carefully.

7. Changing Sheets on an Occupied Bed is a Slightly More Complicated Process

Make sure to follow similar hygiene and patient safety protocols and do it with a partner.

Safety Guidelines

Proper bed-making is also an important part of a facility&#;s linen management program. When the linens are handled well and correctly between changes, facilities can more easily manage costs and minimize losses. Here are some important guidelines to remember:

• Hygiene and safety

  . Bed linens are a hotbed for infection. Soiled linens must be handled with utmost caution and according to the

  guidelines set by OSHA

  to minimize any risk of cross-contamination. To make sure that your linens meet the highest industry standards for cleanliness, work with a Hygienically Clean or HLAC-accredited laundry. And most importantly, make sure to wash and sanitize hands before and after making the bed.  

• Double-check for solid objects.

  One of the most commonly-identified causes of linen loss is due to negligence in disposing of used sharps and other similar items. Not only do these sharps and other possibly infectious solid wastes cause damage to linens, but they are also hazardous to linen handlers. When making beds, make sure to double-check used linens for sharps before placing them in the appropriate containers.

• Orderliness

  . Hospital sheets must be wrinkle-free as gaps and

  wrinkles in linens

  can harbor more bacteria and other infectious pathogens. Make sure to smooth over the surface of the new sheets before getting the patient back onto the bed to avoid this.

Partnering with a Linen Service Expert: The Benefits

Linen management can be a tedious job for any facility. Linens can be expensive and are vulnerable to damages and losses. Keeping inventory and quality in check while keeping the costs down can get overwhelming.

Partnering with a reliable linen service might just be the solution you need! Learning how to make a hospital bed is easy when you have the right linens on hand. 

The right linen service partner can help you:

• Track your linen usage.
• Track items to minimize losses.
• Keep you on top of your linen repairs and replacements.
• Provide you with high-quality linens.
• Eliminate the expenses of an in-house laundry facility.
• Make sure your linens are clean and safe for patient use.
• Ensure that linens are handled properly from pickup to delivery, minimizing the risks of cross-contamination.
• Make sure you always have clean linens at your disposal.

We hope you learned how to make a hospital bed safely and thoroughly! Explore the benefits and opportunities that come with the right linen service partner for your medical facility. Contact MEDtegrity today to discover our network of medical linen experts and learn more about how we can help you with your needs. Call 888-893- for more information or to speak with one of our consultants.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of medical beds for sale. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.