A hospital bed is designed especially for hospitals or homes that need health care at home. These beds are used not like the regular beds seen in hotels or homes as they have special features made for the well-being, comfort, and convenience of healthcare workers and patients. Some of the common features of a hospital bed are height adjustments, side rails that are adjustable and electronic buttons. The other modern features include:
- Wheels for easy movement of beds within the room or other parts of the hospitals.
- These are safe as they can be locked when the patient has to be moved in or out of the patient’s bed.
- Elevation at various places like the entire height, feet, or just the head.
- These are electronically adjustable compared to the older versions, which were manually operated.
- Side rails can be lowered or raised to protect and come with buttons for operation by patients or staff. These rails can be a medical restraint in some cases.
- Bed alarm:
- Hospital beds have an alarm system built-in to allow caregivers or hospital staff to monitor and attend to patients.
- CPR function:
- This is a specialized bed that is used in an ICU mainly
- The bed comes with a CPR function to be used for people who may need resuscitation.
Types Of Hospital Beds
There are various types of hospital beds that are used in hospital settings and outpatient clinics, home healthcare, nursing homes, assisted living, and more. Some of the common types of hospital beds are:
FOWLER BEDS:
They are ergonomically designed beds containing four sections of perforated beds utilized to attain fowler’s position. In the field of medicine, fowler’s position is a standard where the patient is in a sitting position and may have knees that are straight or bent. Variations in sitting position are denoted by high fowler, which is an upright position at a 90-degree angle; a semi-fowler position sitting at 30 to 45 degrees and low fowler, where only the head is slightly elevated. These beds are used for immobile patients. It is used in postpartum women who need uterine drainage, in people who need nasal feeding tubes, and in people with a risk of aspiration.
The beds are made with motors and cranks for easy lifting and collapsible side rails. They are made of ABS steel at the foot and head panels and use either individual or central braking systems. These are used for backrest and knee rest functions.
SEMI FOWLER BED:
A semi-fowler bed is a bed that facilitates a semi-fowler position. It is a position where the patient is lying on the back with the torso and head raised to an angle of 15 to 45 degrees. Compared to a fowler bed in a semi-fowler bed, the angle of elevation is smaller and may include bending the knee and raising the foot of the bed. The purpose of the semi-fowler bed is similar to that of the regular flower bed and is suited for patients who have a respiratory or cardiac condition, need lung expansion, have a nasogastric tube, or are helpful for women in labor during childbirth as it provides them more comfort.
ELECTRIC BED:
These are beds that can adjust the lower and upper body positions as well as the height of the bed. These are useful for people with various medical complaints who cannot sleep due to uncomfortable sleeping positions. Electric beds benefit people with swelling complaints, chronic pain, arthritis, respiratory conditions, poor mobility, heartburn, and acid reflux.
The main features of these beds are electric collapsible guard rails, functions to position the patient in various resting positions, compatibility with hospital bed mattresses, detachable head and footboards, and castors with swivels. These electric beds that can be handled via electric controls are flexible and can be used in home care settings, rehabilitation centers, and nursing homes apart from hospitals. These are produced using the latest engineering technology to provide maximum safety and comfort to patients.
MANUAL BEDS:
A manual bed is one of the most common and popular types of bed that can be found in various hospitals, nursing homes, and caregiving facilities. These are medical beds that have hand cranks to increase the height of the bed and raise the head or foot. These are ideal for patients who do not need many changing positions and are a cost-effective option for long-term care. A manual bed is a budget option cheaper than an electric bed. A variation of this is the semi-electric bed which is a middle ground between electric and manual beds.
MOTORIZED BED:
A motorized bed is a hospital bed that can be raised or lowered as per the patient’s needs. These are equipped with side rails on either side and can be removed when needed. The head and foot of the bed can be raised or lowered to help the patient’s mobility while sitting or standing up. Some of these motorized beds also come with lockable wheels to be moved around. Various features are incorporated into these beds to provide convenience and comfort to the patients. Most beds come with motorized adjustments for knees, back, and height.
RECLINER BED:
These beds can convert a patient’s home bed into a convenient one. It is made of a frame that can be adjusted to various positions, from a low-lying angle to an upright position. Many of these beds come with a remote for ease of operation and are compact in size for modern homes. It is ideal for patients who have acute back pain and want to sleep comfortably.
Hospital Bed To Buy Or Rent
Many people prefer the comfort of their homes to recover from a medical condition or illness than staying in a hospital or a rehabilitation center. Home also becomes the best place when the recovery is a long-term one. Staying at home also helps them work on regaining health and healing faster. However, the bed available at home may not offer the comfort, support, or safety needed by patients. Hence a hospital bed is an essential requirement.
However, a patient’s bed price can be expensive and may not be affordable to everyone. For some people, it may be a short-term requirement and hence buying may not be a great option. Hospital beds for rent are the best option in both cases for at-home recovery for such people. However, many prefer to purchase a new one even if it is slightly expensive and depends on personal preference. The hospital bed price varies based on the type of bed and the duration of use. For example, an ICU bed price is higher when compared to a typical hospital bed as it has more features to offer.