Purpose

• Safety and medical asepsis are important for bedmaking.
• You make an occupied bed when the person stays in bed. Keep the person in good alignment. Follow restrictions or limits in the person’s movement or position.
• Explain each procedure step to the person before it is done. This is important even if the person cannot respond or is in a coma.

Equipment

Roll cursor over items to see labels. For the purposes of clearly depicting the equipment, a barrier is not shown in this photo. When providing care, a barrier should always be placed on the surface before placing the equipment.

Mattress pad, if needed

Bottom sheet (flat or fitted sheet)

Paper towels, as a barrier for clean linens

Gloves

Bedspread

Blanket

Bath blanket

Cotton drawsheet if needed

Top sheet

A pillowcase for each pillow

Bath towel

Hand towel

Washcloth

Gown

Laundry bag

Delegation

Follow delegation guidelines. Before making a bed, obtain this information from the nurse and care plan:

• What type of bed to make—closed, open, occupied, or surgical
• If you need to use a cotton drawsheet
• If you need to use a waterproof drawsheet, waterproof pad, or incontinence product
• If the person uses bed rails
• The person’s treatment, therapy, and activity schedule
• Position restrictions or limits in the person’s movement or activity
• How to position the person and the positioning devices needed
• If the bed needs to be locked into a certain position
• What patient or resident concerns to report at once

Preparation

• Observe quality-of-life measures.
• Review the information under Delegation and Safety and Comfort.
• Practice hand hygiene.
• Collect clean linens and other supplies.
• Place linens on a clean surface. Use the paper towels as a barrier between the clean surface and clean linens if required by agency policy.
• Identify the person. Check the ID bracelet against the assignment sheet. Also call the person by name.
• Provide for privacy.
• Remove the call light.
• Raise the bed for body mechanics. Bed rails are up if used. Bed wheels are locked.
• Lower the head of the bed. It is as flat as possible.

Safety

• The person lies on one side of the bed and then the other. Protect the person from falling out of bed. If bed rails are used, the far bed rail is up. If bed rails are not used, have a co-worker help you from the opposite side of the bed.
• Raise the bed for body mechanics. Have the bed flat. If the bed is locked, unlock it. Then adjust the bed. When done, return the bed to the correct position and lock it.
• Wear gloves to remove linens. Also follow other aspects of Standard Precautions and the Bloodborne Pathogen Standard. Linens may contain blood, body fluids, secretions, or excretions
• After making a bed, lower the bed to the correct level for the person. Follow the care plan. For an occupied bed, raise or lower bed rails according to the care plan.

Comfort

• For an occupied bed, the person lies on one side. You tuck dirty linens under the person. Then you put clean linens on the bed and tuck them under the person. The tucked linens create a “bump” in the middle of the bed. To make the other side, the person rolls over the “bump” to the opposite side. To promote comfort, make the “bump” as low as possible by fan-folding bottom linens neatly and flatly.
• Cover the person with a bath blanket before removing the top sheet. Do not leave the person uncovered. The bath blanket provides warmth and privacy.
• Adjust the person’s pillow as needed during the procedure. After the procedure, position the person as directed by the nurse and the care plan. Always make sure linens are straight and wrinkle-free.

Follow-up Care

• Provide for comfort.
• Place the call light within reach.
• Lower the bed to the low position. The bed wheels are locked.
• Raise or lower the bed rails. Follow the care plan.
• Put the clean towels, washcloth, gown or pajamas, and bath blanket in the bedside stand.
• Unscreen the person.
• Complete a safety check of the room.
• Follow agency policy for dirty linens.
• Practice hand hygiene

Reporting/Recording

This skill does not include reporting and recording content.