Hospital Bed
Most of us will have visited someone in hospital or sadly been in hospital ourselves. One of the unique factors that hospitals have is the type of bed in which they use. Not commonly found anywhere else the hospital bed is rather unique and has some great features that make it perfect for sick and recovering patients. These types of beds have been around for some time and were first found in England in the early eighteen hundreds.
Features of the hospital bed
There are a number of features in which hospital beds have which make them unique compared to other beds. Below is a condensed list of these features, they will be discussed in detail in the sections below.
- Adjustable side rails
- Adjustable height of entire bed
- Adjustable top/bottom
- Wheel able and lockable to a position
- Bumper corners
- IV and other medical device attachment
- Controllable from both patient and caregiver
Benefits to healthcare professionals
Whilst the features are listed above, some of these benefit the healthcare professional rather than the patient. By having lockable wheels on the base of the bed, the whole bed can be moved easily when required. The locks can be controlled easily by the foot, which in emergency situations allows the bed to move to operating theatres for example. The side rails provide a means of safety for the patient; this means healthcare workers can leave the room knowing the patient can’t leave the bed. In some situations the patient may also be strapped down to the sidebars. Another benefit of the end bar is the fact that the medical note clipboard can be attached to this end. The adjustable height of the bed does not really affect the patient, but for healthcare workers allows the height to change on demand for various treatment reasons.
The remote control for adjustments is also accessible to the healthcare professional. The bumper corners are a rubber end on the corners of the bed which absorb shock when the corner of the bed hits a wall. This is good in emergency situations where rushing through tight corridors occurs and the patient could die from damages caused by hitting the wall.
Benefits to the patient
The main benefit to the patient is the fact that they themselves (if able) can adjust the bed to their need. If watching TV while awake they can raise the bed on demand via the same control that healthcare workers may use. When it comes time to sleep they can re-lower the bed to a resting position. By having the sidebars the patient can feel secure in the bed, some medications may cause the patient to be dizzy or otherwise and could cause the patient to unwittingly fall out of bed. In similar conditions and epileptic fit may also cause the patient to fall off the edge of the bed. The bed itself can use as much bedding and pillows as required by the patient and their needs, this is comforting not being limited by such things.
