Bed rail measuring guide launches following success with OTs

NRS Healthcare, a large UK assistive technology supplier, has launched new guidance and training on bed rail measuring.

Created in coordination with the NRS Healthcare occupational therapy and production design teams, the guidance is based on the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) guidelines around medical beds, bed rails, bed grab handles, and turning devices.

The guidance came about as a result of an MHRA safety alert triggered by several deaths and injuries attributed to entrapment and falls. NRS Healthcare’s new guidance helps bring the MRHA guidelines to life, with a QR code linking to the latest MHRA guidelines for reference.

The document supports a prescriber or installer in checking the correct installation of a bed side rail and bed grab rail. It contains information on bed side rails as well as bed grab handles.

NRS Healthcare launched the guidance at last year’s OT Show. The firm delivered free on-stand CPD training about its guidance based on the MHRA safety alert, which NRS Healthcare states was a “hot topic” among occupational therapists (OTs).

To help OTs working in the community understand how the new guidance relates to the work they do and how to implement it, NRS Healthcare’s on-stand training explained the difference between bed side rails and bed grab handles; how the MHRA guidance applies to these products; and demonstrated how to safely install them on divans and slatted beds, the associated risks, and how to mitigate them.

All attendees to NRS Healthcare’s training sessions at the OT Show received one of its bed rail measuring guides.

Following the success among OTs at the OT Show 2023, NRS Healthcare has released its bed rail measuring guides for sale on its retail sites Healthcare Pro and Complete Care Shop. They retail for £7.50 each or £5 for orders of 50 or more.

Each guide includes links to a training video summarising the presentation at the OT show and to detailed guidance on how to use the measuring guides.

The British Healthcare Trades Association and NHS Supply Chain published free guidance last year to establish a standardised system for describing the height and width of products, sizing terms, and patient measurement procedures for walking aids.