5 Ways a Smart Hospital Bed Could Benefit Your Facility

06 May.,2024

 

5 Ways a Smart Hospital Bed Could Benefit Your Facility

Technology advancements change the way healthcare facilities provide patient care. That’s why it’s important to evolve the patient experience to keep up with the rapidly changing healthcare industry. A smart hospital bed is one way that your facility can use new technology to alleviate healthcare provider burdens, improve patient satisfaction, and boost health outcomes.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of economic electric patient adult medical beds. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

What can these special new hospital beds do for your facility? Follow along as we explain the details of smart bed technology and outline five ways these beds could help your patients and staff.

What Is a Smart Hospital Bed?

When you think of traditional hospital beds, you probably picture basic metal gurneys with thin mattresses and flimsy side rails. While most emergency departments and urgent care centers still use these gurneys, many acute care settings have transitioned to using computerized patient beds.

Since the early 2000s, companies have integrated new functions and services into hospital bed design. The industry has built on early features like automatic steering and push-button bed elevation; now, along with built-in computers, smart hospital bed features include:

  • Automated bed positioning
  • Data collection and storage
  • Patient-provider communication tools

Multiple manufacturers have developed their own versions of smart patient beds, each with their own unique capabilities and functions. The wide variety of computerized beds on the market allows hospitals to consider an array of options and price points.

When consumers purchase cell phones or home appliances, it’s important to consider the features most desirable for them. Similarly, administrators must consider the most preferred preferences of their patient population when choosing a bed for their facility.

5 Benefits of Smart Beds in Hospitals

You might be asking yourself “How can a computerized bed help improve care at my facility?” Here are five clear advantages that optimize patient and staff wellness:

  1. Decreased Risk of Pressure Injuries
  2. Streamlined Data Collection
  3. Improved Patient Satisfaction Scores
  4. Fewer Patient Falls
  5. Reduced Caregiver Burden

1. Decreased Risk of Pressure Injuries

Pressure injuries are a major complication in healthcare facilities. They’re common among elderly and critically ill patients, especially in intensive care units (ICUs) and nursing homes. A smart patient bed limits the frequency and severity of these pressure injuries.

By improving under-patient air flow, these beds limit the constant humidity and pressure that often cause wounds. Additionally, many beds have a computerized tilting feature; this helps routinely turn patients off of bony prominences, reducing the risk of injury.

Pressure injuries and skin ulcers cost hospitals up to $70,000 per incident, and jeopardize Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. Hospitals can save money and help their patients heal through the introduction of a computerized bed.

2. Streamlined Data Collection

Accurate and timely data collection is important in modern healthcare. Nurses and medical assistants are responsible for charting hundreds of vital signs during every 12-hour shift.

Some smart patient beds are equipped with sensors that allow contactless heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, and body weight collection. Facilities can integrate the bed collection data into the electronic medical record (EMR) system, making it easy for nurses to document and review a patient’s health status.

3. Improved Patient Satisfaction Scores

Smart hospital beds can improve the patient experience. Patients often appreciate features like USB charging ports, remote control head adjustment, and integrated speakers. Helping patients feel a bit more at home is important for improving patient outcomes.

4. Fewer Patient Falls

Patient falls are devastating and raise red flags for regulatory agencies like The Joint Commission. Hospitals can reduce the chances of patient injury by introducing computerized beds with built-in alarm systems.

This fall alarm is often built into the mattress, making it easy to initiate in the case of patient delirium. Many of these alarms integrate into the patient call bell system, sending an alert to an overhead speaker or a nurse’s cell phone. By notifying staff members that a patient is trying to get out of bed, these bed alarms can save hospitals an average of $14,000 per fall.

5. Reduced Caregiver Burden

Features like automatic patient turning and weight redistribution mattresses help cut down on the physical labor associated with patient care. Nurses can stay healthy and strong with reduced muscle strain and back pain often experienced with heavy lifting.

Caregivers who work in facilities with smart beds are able to spend time tending to other needs like medication administration and patient teaching. Hospitals can help staff feel appreciated by being able to better prioritize their needs.

Disadvantages of Smart Beds In Hospitals

Like most change efforts, there are drawbacks to introducing a smart patient bed into your facility.

The cost of these high-tech beds ranges from $10,000 to $40,000, which turns many smaller facilities or community hospitals away right from the start. Also, computerized beds tend to malfunction or break more often than traditional sturdy beds, making them sometimes difficult to use and expensive to repair.

One of the other issues of smart beds in hospitals is that patient-specific data like weight and temperature can be inaccurate. Features that were built to help nursing staff chart efficiently often malfunction and force nurses to reassess the patient to ensure accurate vital signs.

Smart hospital beds of the future can improve current bed technology and build features that optimize wellness and reduce redundancy for staff. With proper staff training and routine device maintenance, disadvantages of these beds can be minimized.

For more double cranks solid wood beside nursing bedsinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.

Learn More Ways to Upgrade Equipment and Improve Care At Your Facility

Introducing a smart hospital bed to your facility is just one way you can improve health outcomes; with IntelyCare, you can follow along in our free newsletter to discover more evidence-based strategies on how to improve the healthcare experience for patients and staff.

Adjustable Beds: Are They Worth It? Pros & Cons

Adjustable bed frames offer a freedom to choose your sleeping position that is unrivaled by any other sleep solution. Additionally, if you suffer from back pain or leg pain, the ability to raise those sections to your comfort level can be priceless. We think for most consumers, for their main bed, an adjustable bed is absolutely worth it.

(shamless plug: we sell adjustable beds for about 50% less than big retail stores. OK, back to the content)

Adjustable base beds are increasing in popularity as people discover the advantages. The ability to adjust to support the natural curvature of the spine is critical to an excellent night’s sleep. Not to mention the now famous “zero gravity” sleep position.

Watch our quick video and then read our breakdown of the advantages and disadvantages of adjustable beds below.

What is an Adjustable Base?

An adjustable base bed allows for the sleeper to move the bed into a position that best supports the natural curvature of the spine. By supporting the body in the ideal posture, it is possible to get a deeper, more restful night’s sleep. An adjustable base provides the means to raise the head of the bed for those who have difficulty breathing or poor circulation.

Type of Adjustable Bed Frames

Adjustable bed frames come in a variety of constructions with various options. It’s possible to get adjustable bed frames which allow each sleeping partner to choose their own position. With dual controls and the ability to choose a position that’s best suited to each partner’s unique sleep needs, you can both get a better night’s sleep.

  • Save

Adjustable Bed with the Head section raised

Typical Bed Frames

Bed frames are not an inexpensive investment. Adjustable bed frames are no exception. With the extra features comes an extra price tag, not to mention the weight and difficulties in moving an adjustable base bed. It’s best to choose one room and one space for the adjustable base bed frames where it will be permanently installed. Once the bed is in place, however, the convenience and comfort of adjustable bed frames can’t be beaten. Come on down to Mattress Warehouse today and see how an adjustable bed can improve your sleep.

Adjustable bed frames have become an increasingly popular option for getting a good night’s sleep. These frames allow you unparalleled freedom to choose your sleeping position, and feel comfortable on your bed. 

  • Save

There are several advantages to choosing an adjustable bed frame (and perhaps a special mattress to go along with it). There are also some drawbacks. This article will discuss some of the pros and cons of adjustable beds.

Pros: Advantages of Adjustable Beds

There are some definite advantages of adjustable beds, which include:

  • Better circulation. One of the biggest advantages that adjustable beds offer is improved blood circulation. Since you can adjust the bed according to your specific needs, you’ll be able to enjoy a sleeping position that makes it easier for your heart to pump blood to the parts of your body that need it the most. For example, if you need to keep a leg or a joint in a raised position, it may be easier to do so with an adjustable bed.
  • Less pain. Along with better blood flow comes fewer muscle aches and looser joints. It’s very possible that an adjustable bed can contribute to less body pain due to gravity, poor circulation, or other physical factors.
  • A reduction in acid reflux symptoms. If you try to sleep in a traditional flat position on your mattress, then acid reflux can make a full night’s sleep almost impossible. The bitter, bile-like taste in your mouth that acid reflux causes may wake you up multiple times during the night. However, if you sleep on an incline then your acid reflux symptoms may be greatly reduced, and you may be able to sleep easy.
  • More independence. Adjustable bed frames are often the perfect solution for people that have trouble getting into or out of bed due to chronic health issues. Whether this is due to age, injury, or another factor, people that sleep on adjustable beds often enjoy better mobility (especially if handrails are incorporated into the frame’s design).
  • Increased comfort. Some adjustable beds come equipped with built-in massage equipment. These vibrating motors can relax sore muscles and provide a soothing, comfortable experience for the sleeper. Moreover, the massage process can continue while the person on top of the mattress does other things, like watch TV, read a book, or knit a blanket!
  • Wide variety. Adjustable beds come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. It’s true that adjustable bed categories are somewhat different from your standard mattress specifications, but you can still choose from a range of sizes, from twin to king. While most adjustable beds tend to be queen- or king-size, there is a lot of customization available for consumers that have special needs or preferences.
  • Versatility. Adjustable beds may not exactly be substitutes for sofas or love seats, but they can certainly work in a pinch! If you are working within tight space constraints, then an adjustable bed frame can serve as a perfect “multipurpose” solution for your problem.
  • Save

Cons: Disadvantages of Adjustable Beds

Along with their benefits, there are also some disadvantages of adjustable beds. These include:

  • Higher costs. Adjustable beds tend to be more expensive than traditional ones. After all, in order for an adjustable bed to work properly you generally need a special mattress that can accommodate the adjustments, and the right kind of frame. The combination of these two components makes your typical price tag for an adjustable bed significantly higher than the cost of its non-adjustable counterparts.
  • Increased noise. You may not think of this point right away, but the truth is that adjustable beds are considerably more noisy than non-adjustable ones. Think about it: your adjustable frame’s beams and joints have to support weight in a very different, more “stressful” way than flat-frame hardware does. This often results in audible squeaks, groans, and other noises from the frame. In addition, adjustable bed frame motors may produce quite a bit of sound on their own! 
  • Extreme heaviness. The entire weight of a traditional bed set (mattress, box spring, and frame) may total about 200 pounds, give or take. In contrast, adjustable beds may weigh up to 3 times that amount! What this means is that not only will the initial move-in process for the adjustable bed be more difficult, but it may be hard to re-position or relocate the bed in the future. (Of course, the addition of heavy-duty casters can help solve some weight-related issues around the adjustable bed.)
  • Restricted movement. Since adjustable beds may have one or more inclines and/or declines, it may be very difficult for an individual sleeping on one to shift position during the night. While this doesn’t present a problem for “stationary sleepers,” for someone who regularly tosses and turns all night, this may prove to be a very uncomfortable feature of adjustable beds. In fact, in some cases this restriction of movement may result in less quality sleep compared to that provided by a traditional bed set.
  • Unique sizing categories. As mentioned previously, standard sizes for adjustable beds vary significantly from traditional ones. That also applies to their sheets and covers. For example, if you have sheets fitted for a queen-size bed and want to transfer them over to a “queen-size” adjustable set, you may find that they don’t fit over the new mattress. Sheets from traditionally-sized beds may be either too large or too small to comfortably cover an adjustable bed. In addition, sheets for adjustable beds are often more expensive than sheets for non-adjustable ones, and may be limited in terms of available colors and patterns.

As the above information clearly demonstrates, there are a lot of good reasons to invest in an adjustable bed set… and some important reasons why you may want to stay away from this option. If you have any questions about whether an adjustable bed would be right for you, don’t hesitate to reach out to our experts at No Bull Mattress today. We would be happy to answer all of your questions, and help you along the path to a wonderful night’s sleep.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website wooden nursing bed.

Other related quick links