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What This Guide Helps With
Troubleshooting unresponsive side-rail or pendant controls caused by lockouts, power, damaged cables, loose connections, contamination, or isolated control failure.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
1. Ensure Patient Safety and Maintain Required Bed Functions
Do not leave a patient dependent on controls that cannot reliably reposition the bed or request assistance.
Notify clinical staff. Use verified caregiver controls or move the patient to another verified bed if required motion, nurse call, or safety functions are unavailable.
Expected outcome: Clinical care continues without depending on the failed control location.
2. Confirm Which Controls Are Affected
Determine whether the failure involves:
One side rail.
Both side rails.
Only patient-facing controls.
Only caregiver-facing controls.
The patient pendant.
One button or all buttons.
Motion, lighting, nurse call, or multiple functions.
Test only the controls needed to define the scope.
Expected outcome: The fault is isolated to one button, one control assembly, one side of the bed, or the entire control system.
3. Verify Bed Power
Confirm that the bed is connected to verified AC power and that normal indicators are present.
Check whether the same controls respond on battery and AC power. Inspect the power cord for visible damage.
Expected outcome: The bed has stable power. If control operation returns on AC power, evaluate the battery issue separately.
4. Check Active Control Lockouts
Inspect the caregiver control panel for patient-control or motion lockouts.
Confirm with clinical staff whether the controls were intentionally disabled. Clear only the necessary user-accessible lockout.
Expected outcome: The intended controls are enabled. If normal response returns, verify each applicable button and stop troubleshooting.
5. Compare With Another Control Location
Test the same function from a different side rail or caregiver control.
For example, if the patient pendant does not raise the head section, test head elevation from a verified caregiver control.
Expected outcome:
If the function works elsewhere, the actuator and common power system are likely operational, and troubleshooting can focus on the affected control.
If the function fails everywhere, troubleshoot the broader motion or power problem instead.
6. Inspect the Pendant and External Cable
Inspect the pendant, cord, strain relief, plug, and accessible receptacle for:
Cuts, pinching, crushing, or exposed conductors.
Loose or partially seated connection.
Cracks, liquid intrusion, sticky buttons, or impact damage.
Cord routing through a side rail or articulation path.
Excessive tension caused by bed movement.
Remove a visibly damaged pendant from use.
Expected outcome: The pendant and cable are intact, correctly routed, and securely connected. If reseating restores operation, verify every pendant function before stopping.
7. Inspect Side-Rail Controls
Inspect the affected side-rail control panel for physical damage, contamination, fluid residue, recessed buttons, or signs of impact.
Confirm that the side rail is fully positioned and latched when the control design requires it. Do not apply liquid directly to the control panel or pry around switches.
Expected outcome: The panel is clean, dry, undamaged, and properly positioned. An externally correctable positioning issue may restore normal operation.
8. Inspect Accessible External Connections
Inspect only externally accessible control connections approved for Clinical Engineering access.
Check for loose plugs, cable strain, pinching near side-rail pivots, or damage caused by repeated raising and lowering of the rail. Reseat connections only with the bed removed from patient use.
Expected outcome: External connections are secure and undamaged. If operation is restored, cycle the side rail and repeat control testing to check for intermittency.
9. Substitute a Known-Good Pendant When Appropriate
When a compatible approved pendant is available, connect the known-good pendant and retest.
Do not use an uncertain or incompatible accessory.
Expected outcome:
If the known-good pendant works, replace the defective pendant.
If it also fails, the problem may involve the receptacle, wiring, configuration, or control system.
10. Perform Final Functional Verification
After correction, test every control on the affected side rail or pendant.
Verify correct response, direction of motion, stopping behavior, lockout function, cable security, and absence of intermittent operation during normal bed positioning.
Expected outcome: All applicable controls respond consistently. Troubleshooting can stop.
11. Escalate an Unresolved Control Failure
Remove the bed or affected accessory from service when controls remain intermittent, damaged, contaminated internally, or unreliable.
If safe operation can be maintained only by disabling the affected accessory, follow facility policy and manufacturer requirements before any limited-use decision.
Expected outcome: Unreliable patient controls are not left in clinical service.
If the Problem Persists
Power, lockouts, control comparison, accessory condition, positioning, and externally accessible connections have been evaluated. The remaining cause may involve the side-rail control assembly, pendant receptacle, internal cable harness, control network, power distribution, or approved configuration.
Remove the bed from service, label it Out of Service, and send it for evaluation using appropriate Stryker documentation and approved test equipment. Repairs should be performed only by qualified personnel. Verify every affected control, lockout, and related bed function before return to service.
Knowing when to stop external troubleshooting and escalate is proper troubleshooting.
Clinical Use Tip
Confirm that clinical staff still have an accessible verified control location before removing or disabling a patient pendant.
Work Order Documentation (CCR Method)
CCR = Complaint, Cause, Resolution
Complaint
What was reported by the clinical staff.
Example:
"Nursing reported that the InTouch patient pendant did not respond to any bed-positioning commands."
Cause
What was observed during troubleshooting.
Example:
"Clinical Engineering found the pendant connector partially disengaged from its external receptacle."
Resolution
What action was taken.
Example:
"Clinical Engineering fully reseated the connector, secured the cable routing, and verified all pendant functions and caregiver lockouts."
Helpful Details to Include (If Known)
- Control panel or pendant affected.
- Individual buttons or functions affected.
- Other control locations tested.
- AC and battery status.
- Lockout status.
- Cable, connector, and strain-relief condition.
- Evidence of fluid, impact, or contamination.
- Known-good pendant test result.
- Intermittent behavior during side-rail movement.
- Final control and lockout test results.
Final Thought
Maintain safe access to bed functions, check lockouts and external connections first, compare control locations logically, and replace or escalate any control that cannot be verified as reliable.
That is successful troubleshooting.