Types of Bed Making in Nursing | Purpose of Bed Making | Principles of Bed Making

What is Bed Making in Nursing?

Bed making is one of the important nursing techniques to prepare various types of beds for patients or clients to ensure comfort and useful position for a particular condition. The bed is especially important for patients who are sick. The nurse plays an inevitable role to ensure comfort and cleanliness for an ill patient. It should be adaptable to various positions as per patient’s needs because they spend varying amounts of the day in bed.

Types of Bed Making in Hospital:

 The nursing staff makes different types of the bed according to patient condition those are listed below:

1. Simple bed or unoccupied bed.

• Close bed (Admission bed),
• Open bed,

2. Occupied bed,
3. Cardiac bed,
4. Fowler’s bed,
5. Fracture bed,
6. Operation bed.

Purpose of Bed Making in Hospital:  

Bed-making is nursing art. The purpose of the bed-making should be patients or client-centered. The main purposes of bed-making are to prevent complications by ensuring comfort and security to the patient.

1. To provide rest and sleep.
2. To provide physical and psychological comfort and security to the patient.
3. To give the unit a neat appearance.
4. To establish an effective nurse patients relationship.
5. To provide active and passive exercise to the patient.
6. To promote freshness and cleanliness.
7. To develop skill in the posture/body alignment of the nurse in bed-making.
8. To observe, identify, and prevent patient complications.
9. To accommodate the patient’s needs.
10. To reduce patient’s exertion by bed-making.
11. To eliminate irritants to the skin from the patient’s body.
12. To dispose of soiled and dirty linen properly.
13. Another purpose of bed-making is to save time, effort, and material properly.

Basic Principle of Bed Making in Hospital:

 Skillful bed making contributes to patients’ comfort. Some basic principles of bed-making are pointed below

1. It is important to learn how to make a bed in such a way where the least amount of energy and time is required.
2. During bed-making, use good body movement and make each step purposeful.
3. Keep everything ready on the bedside before starting bed-making.
4. Change bed linen frequently to assure cleanliness.
5. To ensure the patient’s needs by providing a safe and comfortable bed.
6. It should have a finished appearance.
7. To make the bed tight and free from wrinkles, place all linen straight lines on the bed.
8. Prevent complications of prolonged bedridden patient such as pressure sores.
9. Soiled linen or linen whether clean or dirty should not be thrown on the floor, but it is should be kept in a dirty linen box.
10. After cleaning the bed, dump soap water, and disinfectant properly.
11. Try to prevent cross-infection of microorganisms during bed-making.
12. Ensure all bed-making in a nursing unit alike for uniformity of appearance.

Key Points Should Remember During Bed Making in Hospital:

During bed-making, we should remember some knowledge that is useful for us and also to the patient.

1. During bed-making, bed position keep elevated and ensures nursing staff’s good body alignments.
2. During the procedure, the nurse should study her movements to avoid waste of time and energy.
3. After completing, the bed should be in a lower position.
4. During occupied bed making, confirm patient safety and comfort.
5. Wash hands before and after bed making and use gloves during bed-making.
6. Maintain privacy while making the bed.
7. Keep soiled linen away from uniform which may have germs.
8. Do not shake dirty linen to prevent germs spread around the room.
9. Do not mix soiled and clean linen during bed-making.
10. For the bedridden patient, the mattress must be turned the air and ensure free of lumps and fold.

More articles related to Bed Making:

1. Purpose and Procedure of Postoperative Bed Making
2. Occupied Bed Making Purposes | Occupied Bed Making Procedures
3. Principles of Closed Bed Making in Nursing | Procedure of Closed Bed in Nursing

Maria Mona

Maria Khatun Mona is a Founder and Editor of Nursing Exercise Blog. She is a Nursing and Midwifery Expert. Currently she is working as a Registered Nurse at Evercare Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. She has great passion in writing different articles on Nursing and Midwifery. Mail her at “maria.mona023@gmail.com”