Which Hospital Bed is Best Suitable for your Loved Ones?
You may need to buy a hospital bed for home use when your loved one is discharged and returns home from the hospital following surgery or any other illness. Various factors need to be considered when selecting a hospital bed and mattress, to ensure adequate care and comfort for your loved ones. These include:
Ø How long does your patient need the bed for i.e., short-term, or long-term use?
Ø Can your patient live without a caretaker, or does he require a round-the-clock caretaker?
Ø Can your patient move or is he immobile?
Ø Is your patient at increased risk of falling?
Ø Is your patient obese?
Ø Your affordability
You must keep in mind that both the bed and the mattress play key roles in offering comfort to your loved ones, so make sure to consider all facets of care when selecting a bed. This guide will help you select the best bed and mattress for your loved ones available at Express Hospital Beds.
Most of the time hospital beds are required for short periods. When your patients have a short-term illness that decreases their mobility such as people with a broken limb or pneumonia, they may, temporarily, need a hospital bed to support them in their everyday living. Similarly, elderly, or disabled patients may require short-term hospital beds when they visit their relatives or friend's house.
For these people, Short Term Hospital Beds offered by Express Hospital Beds are the best choice. These beds are made up of spring bed decks. They are cheap and affordable and can be used for 2 to 5 years depending upon the patient’s weight. However, as time passes, the spring bed deck begins to stretch, giving a sagging mattress feel that makes it uncomfortable for the patient.
Patients suffering from chronic illnesses or impairments, with a decreased level of independence in day-to-day living activities, require hospital beds for long-term use to provide proper support and preventive care.
Long Term Hospital Beds available at Express Hospital Beds consist of a grid, slat, or solid bed deck that completely supports the mattress and provides comfort to the person for years. These beds have a solid and durable construction lasting for years. Moreover, the deck retains its integrity for extended periods and does not sag over time. But these beds are costlier than short-term beds owing to their enhanced motors and more sturdy frames.
Beds Depending Upon Height Adjustment:
Height adjustment plays an important role in choosing an ideal bed for the patient. If the hospital bed is not at the correct height, it may give rise to caregiver back and muscle injuries. The right height depends on the caregiver, but professional health experts advise hip height or a little higher. Express Hospital Beds offer Semi Electric and Fully Electric beds depending upon the mode of height adjustment.
The Semi-electric beds have an electric motor to perform head and foot adjustments by using a remote control, permitting repositioning with the touch of a button. However, the height needs to be adjusted manually by using a hand crank located at the foot of the bed. It is cheaper than a fully electric bed but adjusting height with the hand crank mechanism demands strength, thus putting strain on caregivers (1). Also, a caregiver is needed for height adjustment, thereby, limiting the patient’s independence.
The Fully Electric beds are completely remote controlled i.e., height, head, and foot all can be adjusted by using the remote. Thus, the patients can adjust the height without any assistance from the caregivers, thereby, maintaining their independence (2). The absence of a hand crank mechanism means no strain for the caregivers. Besides the bed is useful in various conditions and positioning requirements i.e., sleep, skin issues, circulation, etc. However, these beds are more expensive than semi-electric beds and may not be affordable for you.
Beds for Patients at Increased Risk of Falling:
Some patients, due to their illnesses such as weakness in the legs, are at an increased risk of falls especially while getting into or out of bed. These falls can aggravate the condition of the patient or give rise to new ones. Therefore, there is a need to prevent these.
Low beds offer safety and comfort to patients who have trouble getting in and out of higher hospital beds. They protect those who are at risk of rolling out of bed. They permit patients to place their feet flat on the ground while they are sitting on the side of the bed. Express Hospital Beds recommends Hi-Low Hospital Beds for this purpose.
A Hi-Low Hospital Bed, having the same features as a fully electric bed, has its deck only 7 inches from the ground. Even with a 6-inch mattress, the fall height is confined to 13 inches, thereby, improving patient safety and reducing fall risks. A fall mat further reduces the risk of injury. Its auto-rise feature provides extra support and assistance and lessens physical stress on patients and caregivers. However, it is even more expensive than a fully electric bed and has hospital looks and feels.
Beds for Obese Patients:
Some of your patients may be obese and the standard hospital bed may not be able to support their weight. They need a stronger and wider bed according to their size. This is where a Bariatric Bed comes in.
Bariatric Hospital Bed, also known as a heavy-duty bed, has similar features to a fully electric bed. It is just stronger and wider to support severely obese patients i.e., up to 1000lbs and has more durable frames than a standard hospital bed. It considerably lessens the risks of pressure ulcers through pressure reduction and is an ideal choice for obese patients (3). However, it is more expensive than a standard fully electric bed and special Bariatric Mattresses have to be bought.
Bariatric Mattresses are specifically made for bariatric bed frames to be used by obese patients. They are available in both foam and air circulating forms and have the required extra support necessary for obese patients (4). These are costlier than the standard hospital mattresses and the foam choice can be a bit too stiff for some patients.
Mattresses for Bedsore Prevention and Treatment:
Bedridden or otherwise immobile patients are at an increased risk of formation of bed sores or pressure sores. These are ulcers that form on areas of the skin that are under pressure from lying in bed for an extended period. This is a serious problem for weak elderly people and develops when they are not turned, positioned correctly, or given good nutrition and skin care. Express Hospital Beds offer several types of mattresses to prevent and treat bed sores.
Foam Prevention Mattresses are cheap alternates to basic foams or innerspring mattresses that cause bedsore development by increasing pressure and heat on weight-bearing areas of the body and skin breakdown. It stops the development of painful pressure and heat bed sores and absorbs shock from motion providing comfort to the patient. However, these do not work in patients who already have bed sores.
Alternating Pressure Mattresses use pressure redistribution to boost blood flow which nourishes the skin, and prevents and heals bedsores (5). It has a mechanism that slowly inflates and deflates air cells on the mattress under the patient at a fixed or changeable cycle time. Thus, it provides pressure relief and skin moisture management and keeps lung secretions and other fluids in circulation. But they are more expensive than foam prevention mattresses and the less costly options have a reduced number of air cells, thus providing less therapeutic support.
Low Air Loss Mattresses are meant to spread the patient's body weight over a large surface area and help prevent skin breakdown. Air constantly flows through small laser-made air holes on the surface of the mattress so that the patient floats on a soft cushion of air. This prevents the development of pressure ulcers (6) and increases blood flow to areas with active pressure ulcers. Moreover, it lowers moisture formation and has wicking properties to ensure skin stays dry and healthy. The only drawback is that its blower makes a constant noise that can be frustrating and affect the sleep of patients.
? combine the benefits of pressure relief, low air loss, and lateral rotation in a single bed and are the best choice for ulcer therapy (7). It allows the patient to be rotated bilaterally thereby, decreasing the risk of complications related to immobilization. Also, it provides unparalleled patient comfort and pressure ulcer management by controlling heat and moisture, easing pressure, and decreasing friction and shear. Moreover, it provides added benefits of improving digestion and circulation and decreasing the probability of pulmonary complications (8). However, the noise it produces can be irritating for the patient.
Bottomline
Choosing a hospital bed and mattress for your loved one necessitates judicious regard for the above-mentioned factors to ensure you make the best choice for your loved ones. At Express Hospital Beds, our customer service representatives and sales staff have detailed knowledge of our complete line of beds and can assist you in making the right choice. Call us today toll-free at 1-800-535-1322 or send us an email and let us help you make the best choice for your loved one’s comfort and care.
References
1. Zhou J, Wiggermann N. The effects of hospital bed features on physical stresses on caregivers when repositioning patients in bed. Applied Ergonomics. 2021 Jan 1;90:103259.
2. Badnjević A, Pokvić LG. Hospital beds. In: Clinical Engineering Handbook. Elsevier; 2020. p. 498–502.
3. Kramer KL. WOC Nurses as Advocates for Patients Who Are Morbidly Obese: A Case Study Promoting the Use of Bariatric Beds. Journal of Wound Ostomy & Continence Nursing [Internet]. 2004;31(6). Available from: https://journals.lww.com/jwocnonline/Fulltext/2004/11000/WOC_Nurses_as_Advocates_for_Patients_Who_Are.10.aspx
4. Dimant J. Bariatric Programs in Nursing Homes. Clinics in Geriatric Medicine. 2005 Nov 1;21(4):767–92.
5. Meaume S, Marty M. Pressure ulcer prevention and healing using alternating pressure mattress at home: the PARESTRY project. J Wound Care. 2015 Aug 2;24(8):359–65.
6. Stone A. Preventing Pressure Injuries in Nursing Home Residents Using a Low-Profile Alternating Pressure Overlay: A Point-of-Care Trial. Advances in Skin & Wound Care [Internet]. 2020;33(10). Available from: https://journals.lww.com/aswcjournal/Fulltext/2020/10000/Preventing_Pressure_Injuries_in_Nursing_Home.5.aspx
7. Anderson C, Rappl L. LATERAL ROTATION. Ostomy/wound management. 2004;50(4):50–62.
8. Kang SY, DiStefano MJ, Yehia F, Koszalka MV, Padula WV. Critical Care Beds With Continuous Lateral Rotation Therapy to Prevent Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia and Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injury: A Cost-effectiveness Analysis. Journal of Patient Safety [Internet]. 2021;17(2). Available from: https://journals.lww.com/journalpatientsafety/Fulltext/2021/03000/Critical_Care_Beds_With_Continuous_Lateral.12.aspx
