- Gather all of the supplies that you will need whether the bed is occupied or unoccupied. When a bed is unoccupied, you'll probably gather a fitted sheet, a draw sheet (or waterproof pad), a regular sheet, a bedspread, and pillow cases. If a patient is in the bed, you may have to completely change the bed or only change a few of the linens. You can usually determine what you will need if you care for the patient.
- Wear disposable gloves when you remove dirty linens to protect yourself from exposure to bodily fluids or feces. Always roll the linen together toward you and follow hospital guidelines. Never let any dirty linens touch your clothing; this could spread infection. Wiping down the bed with some sort of sanitary, disinfecting wipe is required by most hospitals.
- The type of bed that you make depends on the patient using it, usually a patient from the emergency room or directly from a doctor's office. You'll usually make a closed bed, which means the sheet and bedspread are pulled all the way up on the bed. An open bed has the bedspread and sheet folded down, and the waterproof pad or draw sheet is exposed. An open bed must have the blanket and sheet pulled down together, folded accordion style so the patient can easily pull them up.
- If you don't want to make a patient's hospital bed several times a day, once the person is in the bed, remove all wrinkles from the sheets and pad. Wrinkles can make the patient uncomfortable and promote bedsores. Give a patient on bed rest a towel to use while eating so food or drink are less likely to be spilled on the bed. Change the bed linens if requested or according to the hospital's guidelines. Try and change their bed when they are away for testing or sitting in a chair for meals.
