Company Blog
How to Make a Hospital Bed
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 888-893-3334 for more information or to speak with one of our consultants.
