Hospital Bed

?????A Hospital Bed , sometimes known as a hospital cot, is a bed that is specifically constructed for hospitalized patients or those who require medical attention. These beds offer unique characteristics that benefit the patient's comfort and well-being as well as the convenience of health-care staff. Adjustable height for the entire bed, the head, and the feet, adjustable side rails, and electronic buttons to control the bed and other surrounding electrical gadgets are all common features.

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Hospital Bed

Hospital Beds and other similar beds, such as nursing care beds, are used in a range of health-care settings, such as nursing homes, assisted living facilities, outpatient clinics, and in-home health care. While the term "hospital bed" can refer to a physical bed, it is also used to refer to the amount of space available in a health-care facility, since the capacity for the number of patients is measured in "beds."

History

Beds with movable side rails were initially used in the United Kingdom between 1815 and 1825.

In 1874, the Cincinnati, Ohio-based mattress business Andrew Wuest and Son filed a patent for a sort of mattress frame with a hinged head that could be lifted, foreshadowing the modern-day hospital bed.

Hospital Bed

In the early twentieth century, Willis Dew Gatch, chair of the Department of Surgery at Indiana University School of Medicine, created the modern 3-segment adjustable hospital bed.

In 1945, the first push-button hospital bed was produced, which included a built-in toilet to remove the need for a bedpan.

Features

Wheels:

The wheels on the bed allow it to be readily moved around the facility or within the room. Patient treatment may entail a bed transfer of a few inches to a few feet in some circumstances.

Hospital Bed

The wheels may be locked. When moving the patient into or out of the bed, the wheels can be locked for safety.

Elevation:

The head, foot, and complete height of the bed may be lifted and lowered. While this is done using cranks at the foot of the bed on older beds, it is done electronically on newer ones.

A semi-electric bed contains two motors, one to lift the head and the other to elevate the foot, but a fully electric bed has more electrical functions.

The patient, the staff, or both may benefit by raising the head (known as a Fowler's posture). The Fowler's position is used to seat the patient upright for eating or other activities, or to aid respiration in some patients, or to benefit the patient for other reasons. Raising the patient's feet can make it easier for them to move toward the headboard, and it may be required in some cases.

Side rail:

Side rails on beds can be lifted or lowered. These rails, which provide protection for the patient and can also make them feel more comfortable, can also incorporate the buttons that staff and patients use to move the bed, summon the nurse, or operate the television.

Side rails come in a variety of shapes and sizes to suit a variety of needs. While some are just to avoid patient falls, others incorporate equipment that allows the patient to assist themselves without having to be physically restrained.

If not designed appropriately, side railings might cause patient entrapment. Between 1985 and 2004, more than 300 fatalities were documented in the United States as a result of this. As a result, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established safety criteria for side rails. Because rails can be regarded a kind of medical constraint, they may require a physician's order in some situations (depending on local laws and the regulations of the facility where they are employed).

Tilting:

Most modern beds have legs that allow the bed to be tilted 15-30 degrees on either side. This type of tilting can help patients avoid pressure ulcers and careers perform their regular chores with less risk of back problems.

Bed Exit Alarm:

Many contemporary hospital beds have a bed exit alarm, which uses a pressure pad on or in the mattress to activate an auditory warning when a weight, such as a patient, is placed on it, and then deactivates the entire alarm when the weight is removed. This is useful for hospital workers or caregivers who are monitoring many patients from a distance (such as a nurse's station), because the alert will sound if a patient (particularly the elderly or memory challenged) falls out of bed or wanders off alone. This alarm can be activated just by the bed, or it can be linked to a nurse call bell/light or a hospital phone/paging system. A multi-zone bed exit alarm, which may inform workers when the patient begins moving in the bed and before the actual escape, which is important in some instances, is also available on some beds.

Hospital Bed

CPR Function:

Some hospital beds have a CPR feature in the form of a button or lever that, when engaged, flattens the bed platform and lowers it to the lowest height, as well as deflates and flattens the bed's air mattress (if present), producing a flat hard surface essential for CPR administration.

Specialist Beds:

A variety of specialty hospital beds are also available to properly treat a variety of injuries. Standing beds, rotating beds, and legacy beds are examples of these. Back and spinal injuries, as well as severe trauma, are generally treated with these.

Hospital Bed Components & Safety

Hospital beds are built to give safety, comfort, and mobility to a wide spectrum of patients with different diseases and treatment programs. While the adaptability and diversity of hospital beds and related safety equipment allow caregivers to meet the different requirements of their patients, caution must be used in ensuring that essential user training, inspection processes, and periodic maintenance and safety checks are carried out.

Hospital beds are most commonly connected with falls, although pressure injuries and entrapments are also significant safety problems. Christian Mongrain, a doctor of physical therapy and a DME expert, presents an overview of hospital bed injuries and adequate safety in this article.

Reference Link: https://www.robsonforensic.com/articles/hospital-bed-safety-expert

The most prevalent sort of durable medical equipment is hospital beds. Despite its name, hospital beds are utilized in settings other than acute care hospitals, such as rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, and private homes. Injuries involving hospital beds are prevalent due to their widespread use. These injuries can happen when a patient is in a fixed bed, while being transported in a bed, or while being moved into or out of a bed. A person getting treatment at a health care institution or a house, such as a private home or nursing home, is referred to as a "patient" in this article.

Hospital Bed Anatomy & Safety Features

Hospital beds are distinguished from conventional beds by features such as height and position adjustments, wheels, and adjustable bed rails. Modern hospital beds are equipped with a variety of safety measures that help prevent falls and pressure injuries, aid with patient placement and mobility, and warn caregivers in the event of an accident. The benefits of these safety elements can only be experienced if caregivers are properly trained and safety rules are reinforced.

When selecting a hospital bed, consider the patient's height, weight, capacity to move, diagnosis, and comorbidities. Providers use risk assessment tools (such as the Morse Fall Scale and Braden Risk Assessment Tool) to determine if a patient requires a specialized bed with safety features to help prevent falls and/or pressure injuries after identifying a bed that meets the patient's anthropometric and capacity needs.

Adjustable Setting:

Hospital beds must have adjustable height settings as a basic safety feature. When standing from a seated posture, raising the bed height can lessen the need for patient assistance. Adjusting the bed height can help a patient maintain their balance while seated at the edge of the bed, and decreasing the bed height to its lowest level can help a patient avoid serious harm in the case of a fall.

Hospital Bed

The majority of hospital bed frames may be repositioned in parts. Frequently, the head of the bed can be elevated independently of the bed part that supports the lower extremities. When the head of the bed is lifted, an extra function allows the knee section of the bed to be elevated, preventing the patient from slouching into a slouched position. Proper posture has an impact on the quality of a patient's breathing and is critical for individuals who have pulmonary impairment due to disease, sickness, or accident. When seating a patient on the edge of a hospital bed, however, care must be taken since the changeable settings might produce an uneven surface, which can impact seated balance.

Hospital Bed Mattress Option:

A conventional mattress made of foam and springs, wrapped in an impermeable cover, is typically seen in hospital beds. Several different surface alternatives are available to meet the demands of different patients. An "air mattress" is the most prevalent type of alternative mattress. Air mattresses are a popular intervention for patients with wounds or who are at risk of pressure harm. External blowers are often used to power air mattresses, allowing the air pressure within the mattress to be increased or lowered, allowing the hardness of the mattress to be adjusted. Air mattresses, when properly set, allow a patient to partially ‘sink' into the mattress, distributing pressure over a larger surface area of the patient's body. The intended advantages of an air mattress can be nullified if it is set excessively hard or too soft, resulting in new or worsening pressure injuries.

While air mattresses might provide better skin protection, they also make patient transfer more challenging owing to surface instability and decreased surface friction. The qualities and features of air mattresses vary by manufacturer and should be taken into account when choosing this solution to address patient hazards.

To enhance comfort and safety for the specific patient's demands, settings such as bed height, mattress posture, and hardness are used. Rotation, oscillation, and pounding are all possibilities on certain specialist mattresses to help manage respiratory secretions. Alternative bed surfaces can improve skin protection, but they require the right operator settings and don't substitute regular repositioning, which relieves pressure on sensitive regions.

Hospital Bed Rails & Safety Devices

Adjustable hospital bed rails are frequently used to help with turning and moving patients, offering a firm grip grab, and lowering the danger of fall accidents. However, if a patient climbs/rolls over the barrier or if the rails are not properly positioned, they can cause strangling and entrapment injuries, pressure injuries, and more catastrophic falls. Restraints are not supposed to be attached to bed rails. To establish if and how rails should be used to keep the patient safe, the patient's health care team must conduct an assessment.

Floor safety mats, alarms, bolsters, and illumination are some of the other safety equipment utilized in combination with hospital beds. Various alarms can be used to warn health care professionals if a patient has left the bed or changed positions, and floor mats can be utilized to attenuate impact in the case of a fall. Bolsters or wedges are used for positioning in order to decrease pressure injuries and to prevent falls. Specialized illumination can help patients cope with the uncertainty that comes with waking up in a dark, unlit environment. The patient's care team is in charge of identifying which hospital bed safety devices are required and appropriate for the patient's specific needs.

Maintenance and Inspection:

Hospital beds are classified as Durable Medical Equipment (DME) and must be inspected and maintained on a regular basis. Equipment maintenance (including maintenance, inspection, and testing) may be required by federal or state laws and regulations (including Life Safety Code standards incorporated as part of federal rules), or additional maintenance requirements may be established. Hospital beds must be inspected by a competent expert, such as a clinical or biomedical technician or engineer, according to bed makers and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Types Of Hospital Beds

Modern hospital beds are extremely customizable, allowing patients to tailor them to their specific requirements. What distinguishes the various types of hospital beds is the technology that drives them. Hospital beds are available in manual, semi-electric, and fully-electric versions.

• Manual: Hand cranks are used to raise and lower the head and foot of the bed, as well as modify the bed's height. Because the patient or caregiver must be physically capable of operating the crank, the use of this sort of bed, and hence the patient's independence and comfort, is limited.

Hospital Bed

• Semi-Electric: An electric motor raises and lowers the head and foot of the bed. The height of the bed is physically adjusted by the patient or caregiver using a hand crank.

Hospital Bed

• Fully-Electric: The patient may modify the bed's height and position using a pendant or remote. It does not need the use of a hand crank, making it simple to get in and out of bed, as well as to raise the bed to a comfortable height for the caregiver to attend to the patient or change the bedding. Some models, such as those in the Trendelenburg (tilt) position, may also move into other positions.

Hospital Bed

Reference Link: https://www.sondercare.com/learn/hospital-beds

Advantages

• Hospital beds are far more suited for the comfort demands of recovering patients than regular beds. However, not everyone who needs a care bed has the same level of comfort, which is why you may customize the bed and its amenities to meet your specific needs.
• The advantage of hospital beds over regular home beds is that they may be adjusted in height, as well as at the head and foot of the bed. Many patients who are awake in bed want to raise their head, foot, and knees for therapeutic and comfort reasons. Many people like to sleep on a flat, level surface and may adjust to a sitting position to read or watch television while awake. The posture-adjustment options vary across models.
• Hospital beds are available in a broad range of forms, styles, and amenities to accommodate a wide range of budgets. While nearly all hospital beds offer some amount of comfort and relaxation, lower-cost beds may forego some of the safety, aesthetics, and advanced positioning features.

Disadvantages

• Cost: A hospital bed can cost more than $1000.00 USD on average, depending on whether it has purely manual functions, two-motor capabilities, or fully electronic three-motor features (whole bed going up and down). More expenditures are connected with bariatric heavy-duty versions that also provide additional breadth.
• Effect on health of patients: Because a patient who sits up a lot, such as when watching television, tends to fall down, hospital beds can round a patient's spine. Some category A bed manufacturers include a built-in anti-slip feature in their beds. Ergoframe is provided by LINET, although others have other names.
• Safety: Patient safety was a problem with hospital beds in the 1980s. A 3-year-old Milwaukee girl was murdered in 1982 after she was crushed by a motorized hospital bed while being treated for pneumonia.

A hospital bed strangled an 11-year-old Illinois child to death in 1983.

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