Guides · hospital linen
Draw Sheets Explained: Uses, Sizes and What to Specify
A draw sheet sits across the middle of a hospital bed to protect the bottom sheet and allow quick changes. Here is what it does, how it differs from similar items, and how to size and specify it.
A draw sheet is a smaller sheet laid across the middle of a hospital bed, over the bottom sheet, under the patient's trunk and hips. It protects the bottom sheet from soiling, can be changed without stripping the whole bed, and is often used by staff to help reposition patients. Size it from your mattress width plus enough to tuck in firmly on both sides.
This post explains what draw sheets do, how they differ from similar items, how to size them and what to specify.
What a draw sheet does
Draw sheets have been part of hospital bed-making for a long time, and they still do several practical jobs.
Protecting the bottom sheet
The middle of the bed takes most of the soiling from wounds, drainage, spills and incontinence. A draw sheet covers that area, so when it is soiled staff can change one smaller item instead of the full bottom sheet. That saves time at the bedside and reduces the amount of heavy flat linen going to the laundry.
Quick partial changes
For a patient who cannot easily leave the bed, changing a whole bottom sheet means rolling them twice. A draw sheet can often be changed with less disturbance, which is kinder to the patient and quicker for staff.
Helping with positioning
Many wards use draw sheets to help move patients up the bed or turn them. Whether and how this is done is a moving-and-handling question, not a linen one. Your manual handling or physiotherapy lead decides which aids are used for which patients, and a plain draw sheet is not the same as a purpose-made slide sheet or transfer aid. Specify draw sheets for their linen role, and leave handling decisions to the people trained to make them.
Draw sheets compared with similar items
Several items sit in the same part of the bed and are easily confused.
| Item | Typical material | Main purpose | Reusable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draw sheet | Cotton or poly-cotton woven fabric | Protect bottom sheet, quick changes, support positioning practice | Yes |
| Reusable incontinence sheet (bed pad) | Absorbent layers with a waterproof backing | Absorb and contain fluid | Yes |
| Disposable underpad | Paper and absorbent core with a plastic back | Single-use absorbency | No |
| Mattress protector | Waterproof or water-resistant cover | Protect the mattress itself | Yes |
| Slide sheet | Low-friction fabric | Assist patient movement | Yes, as a handling aid |
A plain woven draw sheet is not waterproof and is not designed to absorb fluid. If a patient needs absorbency, that calls for a different product, covered in reusable incontinence sheets.
Sizing a draw sheet
A draw sheet runs across the bed, so its two dimensions do different jobs.
- Width across the bed (the long dimension): mattress width + both side drops (mattress depth on each side) + a tuck-in on each side.
- Depth along the bed (the short dimension): enough to cover the area from roughly the patient's shoulders to below the hips, which varies by bed length and patient group.
The tuck-in needs to be generous. A draw sheet that pulls loose from one side is worse than no draw sheet, because it wrinkles under the patient and can slip during positioning. Ask the nurses who use them how much they tuck in, and check the size on a profiling bed with the backrest raised.
Use your own measurements rather than borrowed figures. The method for measuring mattresses is the same as for bedsheets, explained in hospital bedsheet sizes. If you have several mattress widths or depths, size the draw sheet for the largest in each group, or keep separate sizes for bariatric and paediatric beds.
Fabric choice
Draw sheets are usually made from the same family of fabrics as bedsheets.
- Cotton is soft and breathable against the patient's back, which matters for patients who spend long periods in bed. It tends to shrink more, so allow for that in sizing.
- Poly-cotton dries faster in the laundry, creases less and tends to keep its size. It may feel less soft to some patients.
Because draw sheets are changed often and handled firmly, a strong weave and robust hems matter more than they do on a top sheet. Ask for the fabric weight so you can compare quotations, and test a sample through your laundry before ordering in bulk. The hospital linen fabrics post covers the trade-offs in more detail.
Construction details worth specifying
- Hems on all four sides, double-folded and securely stitched, since draw sheets take more pulling than most linen.
- Reinforced side edges if your staff regularly grip the edges.
- No loose threads or bulky seams in the area that sits under the patient.
- Size and ward labels placed near a corner, where they will not lie under the patient's back.
- Facility name or logo, woven, printed or embroidered, to help laundry identification.
A visibly different border or colour can help staff and laundry tell draw sheets apart from flat sheets when both are folded on the same shelf.
How many draw sheets do you need?
Draw sheets are changed more often than bottom sheets on many wards, sometimes several times a day for a patient with heavy soiling. So the par level is usually higher than for flat sheets.
To estimate:
- Count the beds in each ward that use draw sheets.
- Ask the ward how many draw sheet changes a typical bed has per day, including higher-dependency patients.
- Multiply by the number of days your laundry cycle takes from soiled bag to clean shelf.
- Add stock for the shelf, for items in transit and a reserve for busy periods and withdrawals.
The same par-level method applies to every linen item; draw sheets simply tend to need more per bed.
Do you still need draw sheets?
Some facilities have reduced or stopped using draw sheets, relying on fitted sheets, mattress systems or other products. Others still find them useful on medical, surgical and elderly-care wards. The right answer depends on:
- Your patient mix and how many patients are bed-bound
- Your moving-and-handling policy and the aids you have
- Mattress manufacturer guidance on how many layers can sit between patient and mattress, which your tissue viability or clinical team should check
- Laundry capacity and cost
Ask clinical and linen teams together rather than deciding on cost alone.
Specification checklist
- Bed and mattress measurements for each draw sheet size
- Finished width and depth after washing
- Fabric (cotton or poly-cotton) and weight
- Hem construction on all four sides
- Colour or border to distinguish from flat sheets
- Labels: size, ward, facility name or logo
- Quantities based on change frequency and laundry turnaround
- Sample wash-tested and tried on real beds
Ordering draw sheets
Draw sheets can be made to your mattress sizes in cotton or poly-cotton, with borders and labels to keep them separate from flat sheets in the laundry. MISHAREN makes hospital linen to order and confirms lead time, including shipping to the UAE, in the quotation. See hospital linen or send your sizes and quantities through contact.