Abstract:
The invention provides a means for permitting hospital patients, including agitated hospital patients, to be left without physical restraints other than the general confines of the hospital bed itself. A two-piece fabric enclosure system covers the rails with a protective material capable of protecting the patient from injuring themselves on side rails but because of the unique construction of the enclosure system, the hospital staff is not hampered in the conduct of their normal duties.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This patent application is based on Provisional Patent Application No. 60/525,126, filed Nov. 26, 2003, the benefit of which is claimed herein. 
     
    
     FEDERAL SPONSORSHIP  
       [0002]     This invention was not made under or pursuant to any federally sponsored research or development program.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     A typical hospital bed is illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The bed comprises a mattress  1 , a headboard  2 , a footboard  3 , and four independently movable side rails  4 ,  5 ,  6 , and  7 . The mattress rests on a bed frame  8 . Typically, the bed is provided with a set of controls (not shown) positioned, inter alia, in slot  9 , in footboard  3 . Other controls may be cable-connected for use by a patient or by hospital staff members choosing to stay along side the patient, rather than use the controls in the footboard. In the typical hospital bed, each of the side rails can be moved upward into a position to prevent the patient from falling out of bed, or moved downward to a position to permit the patient to get out of the bed or to allow hospital staff to change the linens on the bed, et cetera. The side rails are generally provided two on each side so as to permit movement of the bed frame and the mattress into various positions of comfort for the patient without unnecessarily affecting the ability of the side rails to maintain the patient secure from accidental falls.  
         [0004]     In an alternate type of hospital bed, the side rails consist of one continuous rail on each side of the bed; and the bed frame and the mattress typically move only upward and downward, and not into the various special modifications to address specific comfort desires of the patient.  
         [0005]     A serious problem encountered in hospitals is with patients who are quite restless, particularly during deep sleep, patients recovering from anesthesia, patients suffering from mild dementia, and the like. Such patients may extend a hand or foot, or even a leg or an arm through the opening in the side rails, or through the space between side rails on each side of the bed. Such patients have been known to become wedged into uncomfortable and even dangerous positions, and injuries ranging from bruising to sprains to breakage of bones have occurred.  
         [0006]     It would, of course, be possible to increase the number of support members  10  in the rails to the point that the patient could not put a foot, hand or leg through the opening in the side rails, and to use only a single rail on each side of the bed to eliminate the space  11  between side rails. Such methods, however, create their own problems of bed weight, expense, and a loss of ability to position the mattress for the patient&#39;s comfort. It is, of course, possible to install a continuous “bumper” around the inside of the bed to protect the patient from the head and foot boards and the side rails; but such bumpers are cumbersome and interfere with the normal functioning of the bed, and with the hospital staff&#39;s ability to provide care for the patient.  
         [0007]     Hospital staffs dealing with agitated patients on occasion find that restraint and/or seclusion is a necessary procedure. It is the duty of the staff to keep the hospital running smoothly, getting patients up in the morning and to their beds at night, overseeing meals, distributing medications, routing patients to group activities, handling day-to-day activities of the ward, and ensuring the safety of everyone on the ward. Any physical or behavioral interference by patients may necessitate their restraint and seclusion.  
         [0008]     It has become recognized, however, that an individual can be traumatized in the process of restraint, and that the minimum of restraints should be the goal of the staff. A good balance must be struck between the need for use of restraints to protect the patient from injury and the avoidance of misuse or overuse of such restraints. Restraints should be used sparingly, and only when no less restrictive means is available. Restraints should never be used for a period of greater than twenty-four (24) hours without the attending physician&#39;s reassessment of the patient&#39;s condition and need for further restraint. The patient should never be restrained solely for the convenience of the hospital staff, or as a punishment. Such concerns have been addressed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medical and Medicare Services (see 64 F.R. 36070, et seq, for Jul. 2, 1999, and 67 F.R. 61805, et seq, for Oct. 2, 2002).  
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     It is the objective of the present invention to provide a means for permitting hospital patients, including agitated hospital patients, to be left without physical restraints other than the general confines of the hospital bed itself. This is performed in a manner that protects the patient from injuring themselves on side rails, but without hampering the hospital staff in the conduct of their normal duties. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the ordinary hospital bed.  
         [0011]      FIGS. 2 and 3  are layouts of the hospital bed railing protectors of the present invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the hospital bed illustrating the manner in which the present invention is placed in use.  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a hospital bed with the protector of the present invention fully in place.  
         [0014]      FIG. 6  is cross-sectional view of the hospital bed of  FIG. 5  along line  6 - 6  further illustrating the manner in which the present invention is placed on a hospital bed. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0015]     The basic parts of the present invention are best described with respect to  FIGS. 2 and 3 . In the description which follows, the invention is described as being made out of flat fabric such as standard bed sheeting on up to heavy grade canvas. In the Figures, dashed lines  20  through  25  represent fold lines in single pieces of fabric cut to shape, but which may also represent seams if it is desired to make the product from a series of rectangular pieces of fabric sewn together that are capable of being folded at the seam lines.  
         [0016]     Each part of the present invention as shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3  consists basically of four sections  40 ,  41 ,  42 , and  43  for  FIG. 2 , and  44 ,  45 ,  46 , and  47  for  FIG. 3 . Sections  40 ,  41 ,  43 ,  44 ,  46 , and  47  are of a length approximately equal to the total length of the hospital bed side rails on each side. Sections  42  and  45  each have an additional extension at each end,  42   a ,  42   b ,  45   a , and  45   b , and are approximately equal in length to the width of sections  41  and  46 , respectively. Sections  40 ,  42 ,  45 , and  47  have a width approximating the height of the side rails  4 ,  5 ,  6 , and  7 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . The width of sections  41  and  46  is sufficient to cover the top of the side rails when draped over them.  
         [0017]     Each of the parts of the invention shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3  is provided with a plurality of hook and loop patches (Velcro™), i.e. easily separable fasteners of the hook and loop type. Other easily separable fasteners may be substituted, but the Velcro™ type of hook and loop patches have been found to be particularly useful.  FIG. 2  shows the facing side of Velcro™ patches  30 ,  32 , and  34 . Section  42  is provided with attachments or straps  31  and  33 , at extensions  42   a  and  42   b , respectively, each having a Velcro™ patch on the reverse side, as indicated by the broken lines of the rectangle contained inside of straps  31  and  33 , the active portions of which patches are designed to mesh with patches  30  and  32 , respectively. Elongated patch  34  is designed to intermesh with its counterpart  35  in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0018]      FIG. 3  shows the facing side of Velcro™ patches  35 ,  36  and  38 . Section  45  is provided with attachments or straps  37  and  39 , each having a Velcro™ patch on the reverse side, as indicated by the broken lines of the rectangle contained inside of straps  37  and  39 , the active portions of which patches are designed to mesh with patches  36  and  38 , respectively. Elongated patch  35  is designed to intermesh with its counterpart  34  in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0019]     As noted above, the elongated Velcro™ patch  34  of  FIG. 2  is designed to mesh with the elongated Velcro™ patch  35  of  FIG. 3  to bind the two together in an overlapping relationship. When so bound through the Velcro™ patches, the effective combined width of section  43  of  FIG. 2 , and section  44  of  FIG. 3  is approximately equal to the width of the mattress on the hospital bed with which the device of the present invention is to be employed. In the figures, sections  43  and  44  are shown as being of different widths. They could, however, be of the same width, provided that the effective combined width is approximately equal to the width of the mattress for the hospital bed. Similarly, it is within the scope of the present invention to provide two units of the same general shape and dimension as shown in  FIG. 2  and to have a third section having Velcro™ strip patch down each of the long sides of that section adapted to mesh with each of the Velcro™ elongated patches  34  so that the effective combined width of the two sections  43  and the third section, just discussed, will be approximately equal to the width of the mattress on the hospital bed.  
         [0020]     The method of assembling and using the present invention is illustrated by reference to  FIGS. 4, 5 , and  6 . In  FIG. 4 , the hospital bed is shown with the sides  6  and  7  down, and mattress  1  removed. The section of the invention shown in  FIG. 2  is in place, with main body of section  42 , showing section  41  positioned on top of side rails  4  and  5 , section  40  (not visible in  FIG. 4 ) hanging over the far side of rails  4  and  5 , and the end portions of section  42  wrapped around the ends of the side rails  4  and  5 , and fastened into place by the attachment of straps  31  and  33  being attached to Velcro™ patches  30  and  32 . Section  43  is folded out at right angles to section  42 , with elongated Velcro™ patch  34  facing upward; section  43  is resting on mattress support  8 .  
         [0021]     As is also shown in  FIG. 4 , the part of the invention shown in  FIG. 3  is being placed in the bed with section  44  being placed on top of mattress support  8 , in overlapping relationship with section  43  of the part shown in  FIG. 2 , such that Velcro™ patches  34  and  35  mesh, and hold sections  43  and  44  together as a functionally unitary piece. Section  45  (not readily visible in  FIG. 4 ) is temporarily folded under in  FIG. 4 , while sections  46  and  47  are placed in the bed. Sides  6  and  7  may then be raised, and section  47  is draped over the raised side rails such that section  46  will rest on top of raised sides  6  and  7 .  
         [0022]     In  FIGS. 5 and 6  the finished installation of the device of the present invention is shown with mattress  1  returned to its normal position. As can be seen in  FIG. 5 , with the sides  6  and  7  raised, and sections  45 ,  46 , and  47  in place, the Velcro™ tabs  37  can be affixed to Velcro™ patches  36 , and Velcro™ tabs  39  can be affixed to Velcro™ patches  38  to hold the assembled device of the present invention in place for the protection of patients contained therein. All spaces between the bars of sides  4  and  5  and  7  and  8  are covered and no longer accessible to a patient&#39;s hands or feet when the patient is occupying the bed. At the same time, however, hospital staff can readily remove the device of the present invention for replacement and/or laundering, and install a new one. The only thing that is necessary is that the mattress  1  be removed or simply rotated in place about one side or the other as the parts of the present invention are put in place. As can be seen in  FIG. 6 , it is only necessary to rotate mattress  1  about its right side in order to put the portion of the device containing sections  40 ,  41 ,  42 , and  43  in place, and then rotate the mattress back the other way in order to place the portion of the invention containing sections  44 ,  45 ,  46 , and  47  in place, as shown in  FIG. 6 , section  44  overlapping section  43 , with a Velcro™ separable attachment by the combining of the Velcro™ patches  34  and  35 . Removal follows the opposite of the installation just described.  
         [0023]     In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, in order to ensure adequate protection of the patient, any one or more of sections  40 ,  41 ,  42 ,  45 , and  47 , may be provided with a pocket running generally the length of the section, adapted to receive a “pillow” of foam rubber or other padding. Such padding is shown more specifically in  FIG. 6 . The padding in sections  42  and  45  provides protection for a patient against injury from impact with the side rails of the hospital bed. The padding in sections  40  and  47  provides protection for staff members from bruising or injury from impact with the hospital bed rails when the staff is attending to the needs of the patient contained within the side rails. The pockets in sections  41  and  46  provide protection to both staff and patients. These “pillows” are contained in the pockets for the purpose of being able to remove them during laundering of the hospital bed railing protectors of the present invention, as well as ready replacement of the padding of the “pillows” in the event of deterioration with usage. While, from a patient standpoint, it is quite important to have the padding in sections  42  and  45 , and to a lesser extent in sections  41  and  46 , maximum protection of both staff and patients is obtained when all of sections  40 ,  41 ,  42 ,  45 ,  46 , and  47  are provided with the pockets and the appropriate “pillows.” 
         [0024]     The device of the present invention has the additional advantage that it precludes the patient not only from placing hands and/or feet through the openings in the side rails of the bed, but it also prevents them from wedging their hands or feet in the spaces that would normally be found between the mattress/bed frame and the rails of the bed, a common occurrence with agitated patients.