Bed and Mattress Prescription for Community OTs with Lauren Hart!
Electric profiling beds and therapeutic mattresses are among the most clinically complex and costly items an OT will prescribe in community settings. The difference between a careful prescription and a hasty one can be the difference between a client sleeping safely at home for years, and a piece of expensive equipment that creates new problems — or sits unused.
Working through a real case study, you will apply a structured eight-step AT framework to the clinical assessment, feature matching, trial, funding application, implementation, and review of beds and mattresses. The course covers electric profiling bed features in relation to function, safety, and manual handling; mattress selection based on pressure injury risk and functional need; bed rail risk assessment; and the practical considerations that make or break a prescription in a community setting.
This course is part of a collaborative Community AT series developed
Electric profiling beds and therapeutic mattresses are among the most clinically complex and costly items an OT will prescribe in community settings. The difference between a careful prescription and a hasty one can be the difference between a client sleeping safely at home for years, and a piece of expensive equipment that creates new problems — or sits unused.
Working through a real case study, you will apply a structured eight-step AT framework to the clinical assessment, feature matching, trial, funding application, implementation, and review of beds and mattresses. The course covers electric profiling bed features in relation to function, safety, and manual handling; mattress selection based on pressure injury risk and functional need; bed rail risk assessment; and the practical considerations that make or break a prescription in a community setting.
This course is part of a collaborative Community AT series developed by Otuition and Your OT Tutor. It is intended for occupational therapists working in community and aged care settings.
intended for occupational therapists working in community and aged care settings.
Course
2 Hours
About this course
A structured, evidence-informed online course guiding occupational therapists through the complete clinical process for prescribing beds and mattresses – from identifying need and assessing community safety through to implementation and review.
Ideal for:
Occupational Therapists working in community or aged care settings who want to build confidence in bed and mattress assessment, prescription, and funding applications using a structured assistive technology framework.
You’ll learn how to:
- Apply a structured AT assessment and prescription framework to beds and mattresses in community and aged care settings
- Apply the PEO model to systematically assess person, environment, and occupation factors for both beds and mattresses
- Match electric profiling bed features to functional, safety, and manual handling needs
- Select mattress types and features based on pressure injury risk, functional need, and support context
- Conduct a structured bed rail risk assessment and identify restrictive practice obligations
- Know when and how to conduct an appropriate trial, including why an overnight in-home trial is non-negotiable for mattresses
- Navigate funding applications for beds and mattresses across aged care, NDIS, and DVA settings
- Apply best practice AT prescription steps to a clinical case example
About your instructor
Lauren Hart
Lauren Hart is a senior occupational therapist with 13 years of experience, and the founder of both Optimal Living Therapy and Otuition. Working across community and private practice, Lauren has developed deep expertise in assistive technology prescription and the practical realities of delivering high-quality OT in complex, funded environments.
Lauren believes that great OT comes from creative thinking and finding solutions that truly fit the individual – and she brings that same philosophy to everything Otuition produces. She is passionate about building the capacity of the OT profession through evidence-informed, peer-developed education that is genuinely useful in day-to-day practice.
Syllabus
4 Modules, resources and references covering
- Introduction- AT Framework & Setting the Scene
- Welcome and course overview
- Eight-step AT best-practice framework applied to beds and mattresses
- What is a therapeutic bed and mattress? Key types and typical cost ranges
- When is an electric profiling bed or therapeutic mattress the right solution?
- Course disclaimers and assumed knowledge
- Introducing the case study: Margaret, 78, living at home alone
- Steps 1-2: Identifying Need & Feature Matching
- Identifying the clinical problem — falls, pressure injury, manual handling, respiratory function, pain
- Setting specific and measurable goals
- PEO model applied to bed and mattress prescription
- Bed person factors: diagnosis trajectory, movement control, physical function, cognition, behavioural considerations
- Bed environment factors: bedroom dimensions, power access, hoist compatibility, carer capability
- Bed occupation factors: activities in bed, transfer method, manual handling tasks
- Profiling features: head raise, knee break, leg raise, Trendelenburg, height adjustment, floor-line
- Other bed considerations: companion beds, castors, bed rails, headboards and baseboards, finish
- Bed rails as high-risk equipment: risks, restrictive practice obligations, structured risk assessment
- Mattress person factors: pressure injury risk, mobility and transfers, body shape, bony prominences
- Pressure injury risk assessment: Braden Scale and Waterlow in clinical practice
- Mattress environment factors: power, bed base compatibility, transfer height, monitoring capability
- Mattress occupation factors: activities in bed, manual handling, hoist use
- Mattress types: static/reactive, active/dynamic, combination
- Key mattress features: firm edges, seat inflation, settings and modes, weight rating, max inflation, transport mode, CPR valve, profiling compatibility
- Case study: applying Steps 1–2 to Margaret
- Steps 3-5 Trials, Choice and Funding Applications
- Low-cost alternatives — what to trial before prescribing a bed or mattress
- Why overnight in-home trials are non-negotiable for mattresses
- Trial logistics: who needs to be present, what to assess, how to record outcomes
- Working with suppliers on trials — and what to do if they push back
- Identifying and tailoring the prescription
- Common prescription errors and how to avoid them
- Client involvement and shared decision-making obligations under the Aged Care Act
- Writing the funding application
- Funding pathways: Home Care Packages, NDIS, DVA, Support at Home AT-HM Scheme
- Linking clinical reasoning to funding justification — specificity matters
- Indicative cost ranges and justifying more expensive options
- Documentation: what to record and why it matters
- Case study: applying Steps 3–5 to Margaret
- Steps 6-8: Delivery, Review and Outcome Measurement
- Delivery — confirming correct setup before the supplier leaves
- Training the client: essential functions only, demonstrate then watch
- Training carers and support workers on bed and mattress use
- Building supplier relationships and empowering self-management
- Follow-up — when OT time is not funded and how to set up for self-management
- Review triggers: safety concerns, equipment failure, clinical change, suspected misuse
- Maintenance and cleaning schedules for beds and mattresses
- Formal review — has the original goal been met?
- Outcome measures: QUEST 2.0, PIADS, CATOM
- Scenarios: continue, modify, discharge, or refer on
- CPD reflection and applying the prescription worksheet to your next case
- Case study: applying Steps 6–8 to Margaret
More information
A structured, evidence-informed online course guiding occupational therapists through every step of prescribing electric profiling beds and therapeutic mattresses in community and aged care settings — from identifying clinical need and feature matching through to delivery, training, and reviewing outcomes.
