Hospital Bed Buying Guide for Healthcare Facilities - CME Blog

Choosing the right hospital bed is vital for patient comfort, safety, and overall well-being. With an extensive selection available, including manual, semi-electric, and fully electric beds, as well as various features and accessories, navigating through this range can be a lengthy endeavor.

At Newcentury, we are dedicated to providing efficient and considerate service to help you make the best choice.

This guide will outline essential considerations such as safety features, maintenance ease, and compatibility with other medical equipment. It will also delve into the different types of hospital beds available, detailing their respective features and benefits.

Within this guide, we use the term 'hospital bed' to encompass the beds intended for patient care. It is crucial to remember that these beds are utilized across various healthcare settings, including long-term care facilities, mental health institutions, and ambulatory surgical centers.

To ensure hospital beds effectively cater to the needs of both patients and caregivers, several factors warrant careful consideration.

These include:

Bed Type: Determine whether a manual, semi-electric, or fully electric bed is the best fit for the intended purpose. Each type offers different levels of adjustability and ease of use, which plays a significant role in ensuring the safety and comfort of both patients and caregivers.

Patient Needs: Assess the mobility limitations, health conditions, and comfort requirements relevant to your facility’s anticipated patient demographics. Selecting hospital beds that offer suitable support and positioning options is paramount for a diverse range of patients.

Safety Features: Select hospital beds equipped with vital safety features such as side rails, brake systems, and emergency controls to help prevent falls and injuries.

Ease of Use: It is essential that hospital beds are simple to operate for both patients and caregivers. Look for intuitive controls and accessible settings that enhance user experience during bed positioning and height adjustments.

Durability and Quality: Invest in hospital beds built to support a variety of weight capacities and constructed from resilient materials that can endure frequent use and cleaning.

Compatibility with Accessories: Assess how well the hospital bed works with accessories and equipment like IV poles, overbed tables, and patient lifts.

Maintenance Requirements: Opt for hospital beds that have components easily accessible for cleaning and repairs, as well as surfaces that are simple to sanitize.

Regulatory Compliance: Ensure that the hospital bed adheres to relevant safety standards and regulations established by governing bodies such as the Joint Commission.

Budget Considerations: Weigh cost considerations against quality and features to find the best hospital beds that suit your facility's needs.

Thoughtful consideration of these factors, alongside research into the various hospital bed options available, can significantly enhance patient comfort and safety, benefiting both patients and staff alike.

Hospital beds come in various types, each providing different adjustability levels, functionalities, and features to meet the unique needs of patients and caregivers.

Common types of hospital beds include:

• Manual Hospital Beds: These beds require hand-operated cranks or levers to adjust the height and the position of the head and foot sections. They are often more budget-friendly and suitable for patients with minimal positioning needs.
• Semi-Electric Hospital Beds: Featuring electric controls for height adjustment while requiring manual adjustments for the head and foot, these beds offer a balance of convenience and usability.
• Fully Electric Hospital Beds: Providing easy and effortless positioning with electric controls for height and position adjustments, these beds are ideal for patients needing frequent adjustments and alleviating physical strain for caregivers.
• Low Hospital Beds: With reduced height profiles, these beds mitigate the risk of falls for patients with mobility challenges, making them prevalent in geriatric and extended care settings.
• Bariatric Hospital Beds: Designed with reinforced frames and wider mattresses, these beds safely accommodate larger patients.
• Pediatric Hospital Beds: These beds are tailored for children's specific needs, featuring smaller sizes and playful designs to cater to young patients.
• Specialty Hospital Beds: Equipped with advanced features like air mattresses and pressure relief systems, these beds serve distinct medical needs in areas like intensive care, maternity, and wound care.

Grasping the various hospital bed types and their respective features empowers healthcare providers to select the right beds that best meet the demands of patient comfort and safety, as well as support the well-being of medical staff. For a comprehensive range of hospital bed options, connect with a trusted distributor.