Key factors to consider when choosing a hospital bed

As healthcare equipment continues to advance, the role of the hospital bed has evolved significantly.

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What used to be considered a “piece of furniture,” the hospital bed has transformed into an integral piece of therapeutic medical equipment that can substantially affect patient experience and treatment outcomes.

The choice of a hospital bed should be guided by a deep understanding of the facility’s needs, patient demographics, and the specific challenges healthcare providers face on a daily basis.  Let’s explore them in more detail.

Medical beds: A modern solution to hurdles in healthcare environments

As healthcare facilities strive for improved patient outcomes and operational efficiency, the selection of hospital beds can significantly impact various critical areas.

A properly chosen hospital bed can drastically reduce staff injuries. By integrating features such as adjustable height settings and enhanced mobility, contemporary hospital beds help prevent physical strain on healthcare workers, thereby reducing the occurrence of workplace injuries.

Furthermore, hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) and infections (HAIs) can also be mitigated through the use of advanced bed surfaces designed for better patient management and ease of cleaning. Specialized support surfaces for hospital beds allow staff to more easily follow infection control protocols and reduce the likelihood of pressure injuries, both which directly affect a healthcare facility's adherence to its HAPI and HAI prevention goals.

Patient safety and satisfaction are directly influenced by the quality and functionality of hospital beds. Medical beds equipped with customizable positions and patient-friendly controls enhance the patient experience, increasing satisfaction by providing comfort and autonomy over bed adjustments.

Moreover, Safe Patient Handling and Mobility (SPHM) programs and early mobility initiatives benefit from hospital beds that provide a range of mobility levels. These features facilitate early patient movement, which can prevent complications related to prolonged hospitalization.

Finally, the economic impact of choosing the right hospital bed cannot be overlooked. Investing in high-quality, versatile hospital beds reduces the need for and cost associated with rental equipment. This also contributes to staffing retention, satisfaction, and engagement by demonstrating a commitment to providing the best tools and environment for patient care.

Educating staff on how to use standardized beds efficiently reduces time spent on training and maximizes the effectiveness of hospital resources. By ensuring that hospital beds can meet these varied needs, healthcare facilities create a safer, more efficient, and patient-centric environment.

Acuity adaptable hospital beds: The new frontier

The emergence of a new generation of medical beds, known as  acuity adaptable hospital beds, is marking a significant advancement in healthcare delivery, the efficiency and safety of clinical staff, and hospital performance.

Acuity adaptable hospital beds are a flexible solution that caters to diverse patient needs while providing a certain level of standardization. For example, acuity adaptable hospital beds can be used in various care environments, such as Med-Surg, high-acuity care, long-term acute care, behavioural health environments, and palliative care units.

These beds offer various features that allow you to care for a variety of patients in a variety of settings while helping staff achieve a multitude of goals. 

And with the right acuity adaptable hospital bed partner, healthcare teams can use the medical bed’s features appropriately, molding them into current facility policies and procedures—rather than the other way around—and enabling customization of equipment based on your unique needs.

How to choose the best acuity adaptable hospital bed for your facility

When selecting hospital beds, healthcare facilities must prioritize a complex array of requirements to ensure they are making the best choice for their specific needs.  It takes a multi-pronged approach that involves all stakeholder, including nursing managers and other clinical staff, biomedical technicians, procurement, and upper management.

Start by understanding your facility’s current performance and associated costs of fall rates, HAIs, HAPIs, and Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS). What’s working and what’s not?

Ask nursing staff about issues with your current medical beds. Are they too high or too low? Are they incompatible with other hospital equipment, such as lifts and overbed tables? Do patients complain about the hospital beds? What is the level of staff injuries that are caused by working with the beds and patient handling? Engaging with healthcare staff will enable you to tap into a wealth of information that will drive your search for the best acuity adaptable hospital bed for the team.

Other points to evaluate is the current service levels, contract compliance and sheer number of medical bed suppliers your facility currently works with. Are your hospital beds currently difficult to repair? Are lead times on service parts becoming unacceptable? How easy is it to get support from the manufacturers when troubleshooting the use and maintenance of your fleets of hospital beds? Evaluating the costs and complexity of juggling different hospital bed vendors should also be considered—from operational, logistics, and staff productivity standpoints.

Once you’ve painted a complete picture of your facility’s needs and what prioritized challenges need to be addressed, you will have built the foundation for appraising different brands of acuity adaptable hospital beds.

What to look for in acuity adaptable hospital beds

When choosing acuity adaptable hospital beds, it's imperative to understand the features that will best meet the needs of your healthcare facility.

This guide will walk you through the essential characteristics to consider, helping you make an informed decision that aligns with the objectives you have set for your care environments.

Top hospital bed features

Here are some of the key hospital bed features to look for:

1. Hospital bed size: The size of the hospital bed must accommodate the diverse patient population a facility serves. Standard beds may not suffice for all patients, especially in terms of width and length. Facilities must consider medical beds that offer integrated width and length extenders for tall and bariatric patients.
   
   
2. Hospital bed height: Look for acuity adaptable hospital beds with bed frames offer a variable enough low-to-high height to accommodate the majority of patients as well as provide enough underbed clearance for other medical equipment.
   
   
3. Weight capacity: Some medical beds have boosted weight capacity of over lbs., making them ideal for bariatric environments.
   
   
4. Patient ingress and egress: Make sure that the acuity adaptable hospital beds provide safe patient ingress and egress zones. Medical beds should enable patients to easily get their feed and hands in the right positions to facilitate sitting and standing.
   
   
5. Medical bed adjustments: New designs in hospital bed frames enable staff members to adjust the heads and feet of the bed to minimize patient shear and friction.
   
   
6. Easy maneuverability: To help improve patient transport and reduce injuries to employees, the hospital bed should be able to accommodate a power drive system or at least feature a 5th wheel. 
   
   
7. Standardized interface: Search for acuity adaptable hospital beds with frames that offer the same user interface across various configurations and in different care environments. This will go a long way to decreasing staff frustration and error as well as training times and costs.
   
   
8. Intuitive interface: Does the hospital bed feature one-touch buttons for more precise patient repositioning? Are you able to program and monitor bed settings for patient safety and to carry out mobility plans? Does it offer clear communication between staff regarding patient protocols—even when off unit?
   
   
9. Versatile bed-exit detection: Ask hospital bed manufacturers how many levels of detection are offered. Do they feature different types of alerts, and can the volume/tone be adjusted? Is there any way to automate the engagement of the alarms to minimize user error and employee forgetfulness?
   
   
10. Support for infection protocols: Carefully inspect the medical beds. They should be smooth and with no cumbersome parts. Do they have textured surfaces, movable pieces or pockets that could complicate cleaning? Are their hard-to-disinfect areas that will bog down EVS workers?

These are just some of the hospital bed features to look for in acuity adaptable hospital beds.

There are other aspects you may want to think about, such as patient controls to elevate the patient experience, one-hand release siderails, intelligent night lights, integrated scale and more.

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The role of support surfaces with new hospital beds

If your healthcare facility is aiming to update its medical bed fleet, it is also important to think about hospital bed support surfaces.

Factoring in support surfaces at the same time as purchasing medical beds beds, especially from the same manufacturer, offers several interconnected benefits that enhance both the efficiency of the procurement process and the quality of patient care.

When beds and support surfaces are designed to function together as a system, compatibility is ensured, which optimizes both functionality and performance. This seamless integration avoids the complications that can arise from mismatched equipment that may not fit well together, potentially compromising patient safety and comfort as well as slowing down team efficiency.

Procuring these items from a single source also simplifies logistics, reducing the complexity and coordination required when dealing with multiple suppliers. This streamlining can lead to quicker deployment of new equipment in patient rooms, allowing for faster readiness for patient care.

Purchasing from the same manufacturer ensures consistent quality across products, as similar standards and technological innovations are likely applied across their product lines.

Dealing with one manufacturer simplifies warranty and service agreements, providing more comprehensive coverage and easier service management. In cases of equipment failure or the need for repairs, having a single point of contact can accelerate service responses.

You can discover more tips on choosing a support surface for patients here.

Future-proof your new hospital beds

Forward-looking manufacturers are developing game-changing acuity adaptable hospital beds with platforms for remote display and consultation of bed information to optimize the work of clinical and administrative staff. In fact, they connect the patient bed to the nurses’ station and maintenance department, simplifying team collaboration and saving time.

The benefits of these platforms are indeed compelling. Staff members can:

• Easily monitor bed groups and follow prevention protocols
• Access real-time bed status and event data
• Carry out preventative and predictive maintenance to extend the hospital beds’ useful life
• Decrease bed downtimes
• Connect bed insights to other third-party systems if design with open architecture

One such platform is Umano Connect, which can be used on all of Umano Medical’s acuity adaptable hospital beds.

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Medical bed customer service and warranty

Remember that when you purchase hospital beds, an essential aspect is the level of service the manufacturer provides. Some legacy medical equipment vendors tend to focus on providing equipment supply. But there’s so much more to adding a new fleet of hospital beds to your facility.

Work with a manufacturer that offers a proven track record of white-glove service. Look for 24/7/365 live technical support, same-day part shipping, on-site assistance during delivery and installation, specialists available on-site within 72 hours, and all-inclusive parts coverage from damage resulting from unintentional negligence and misuse as part of your hospital bed procurement.

A warranty of 10 years on hospital beds, which guarantees that the medical beds are in patient-ready conditions for a decade gives added peace of mind that a healthcare facility’s investment will last. Keep that in mind.

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Ask your hospital bed manufacturer about its medical bed service plans and if they have add-ons, like:

• In-house technician certification that are eligible for a labor-reimbursement program
• Preventative maintenance services
• Back-up units to mitigate emergency downtimes
• Customized service boxes to speed up repair turnaround time
• All-inclusive labor coverage

Medical bed product development: Co-creation for innovation

A strong collaborative relationship with a medical bed manufacturer allows for input into future product development and customization as a facility or care unit’s needs evolve.

This type of partnership allows healthcare providers to influence the design and features of the beds to better meet specific clinical requirements and ensures that the beds can adapt to changes in healthcare practices and patient demographics over time.

By working closely with a manufacturer that is open to co-development, listens to facilities’ feedback, and understands at on-the-ground experiences drive innovation, you can be a part of creating more efficient, patient- and employee-centered hospital beds. If your hospital bed manufacturer fosters long-term joint ventures with innovation centers and trusted healthcare institutions, you know that it is committed to clinical performance.

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In sum,  selecting the right hospital bed for your healthcare facility is a multifaceted decision. From ensuring the bed's adaptability to specific patient needs to considering the long-term operational and financial benefits, every aspect must be carefully examined.

By thoroughly understanding your facility's specific requirements and the available hospital bed options, you can make an informed choice that will benefit both patients and healthcare providers for years to come.

A Comprehensive Guide to Choosing the Right Hospital Bed

Hospital beds provide safety, comfort, and mobility to a broad range of patients who have varying health conditions. They allow healthcare professionals and caregivers to meet the diverse needs of their patients within a healthcare facility, and home hospital beds can be used to assist with recovery or maximize long-term care in the comfort of an individual’s home. But choosing the right hospital bed can be tricky.

With so many different types of hospital beds out there, deciding on one can be overwhelming, which is why we’re here to help. In this article, we will cover all there is to know about hospital beds to help you make an informed decision.

What is a Hospital Bed?

A hospital bed is a bed specifically designed for those in need of some form of healthcare. Unlike a regular bed, these beds are adjustable and come with special features that help provide comfort and an increased sense of well-being for those who are elderly, disabled, or chronically ill.

Plus, adjustable hospital beds make it easier for caregivers to manage a patient’s needs and provide quality care. While typically found in healthcare facilities, such as hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and outpatient clinics, hospital beds can also be used for home healthcare.

Types of Hospital Beds

There are three main types of hospital beds: manual hospital beds, semi-electric hospital beds, and fully electric hospital beds. Additionally, there are more specialized options, such as bariatric hospital beds. In this section, we take a look at the features, pricing, advantages, and disadvantages of these different types of hospital beds.

Manual hospital beds

A manual hospital bed uses hand cranks to adjust the bed’s height, and raise and lower the head and foot sections. Typically, the hand crank is found at the foot of the bed, and it requires someone physically capable to operate it.

Prices for a manual hospital bed range from $250 – $700. While a manual bed is the cheapest option when it comes to hospital beds, they do lack the more robust features that can be found on semi-electric and fully electric beds.

The following are some pros and cons of manual hospital beds:

Pros of Manual Hospital Beds

• Most affordable type of hospital bed
• Great for those who don’t require frequent repositioning

Cons of Manual Hospital Beds

• Lack of features
• Manual adjustments can put a physical strain on the caregiver

Semi-electric hospital beds

A semi-electric hospital bed utilizes both electric and manual adjustments. Typically, the bed height is adjusted via a hand crank, while an electric motor operated with a remote raises and lowers the head and foot sections. Pricing for these models ranges from $600 – $. 

The following are some pros and cons of semi-electric hospital beds:

Pros of Semi-Electric Hospital Beds

• More affordable than fully electric beds
• Users can adjust head and foot sections

Cons of Semi-Electric Hospital Beds

• Caregiver needed to adjust height
• Hand crank can put physical strain on the caregiver

Fully electric hospital beds

A fully electric hospital bed has an electric motor that adjusts the height and head and feet sections. With the push of a button, the patient can control the positioning of the bed, decreasing the reliance on a caregiver and increasing the patient’s independence. Prices for electric hospital beds range from $900 – $. 

The following are some pros and cons of electric hospital beds:

Pros of Fully Electric Hospital Beds

• Users can adjust bed with no assistance
• Advanced features, such as the ability to move into the Trendelenburg and reverse Trendelenburg positions
• No physical strain put on caregivers to adjust the bed

Cons of Fully Electric Hospital Beds

• Most expensive type of hospital bed

Bariatric hospital beds

Bariatric hospital beds are designed for larger individuals. These beds are sturdier, reinforced versions of the manual, semi-electric, and fully electric hospital beds, and they are recommended for those who weigh 350 to 750 pounds. 

Here are some pros and cons of bariatric hospital beds:

Pros of Bariatric Hospital Beds

• Better support and comfort 
• Safer and prevents shifting and sagging

Cons of Bariatric Hospital Beds

• Larger size means the bed takes up more space
• Fully electric models are the most expensive type of hospital bed

Key Features of Hospital Beds

Hospital beds come with a variety of features, and the type of capabilities your bed will need will depend on the mobility and health conditions of the patient or loved one. Here are five important features to consider when buying a hospital bed:

• Adjustability: Hospital bed frames can be adjusted to higher and lower positions as needed. In addition, the head section can rise up or down independently of the foot section and vice versa.
• Side rails: These beds have securely attached side rails that can be raised or lowered, and they provide protection and support to help patients feel more secure. Additional assist rails can be added to further help patients with mobility issues get in and out of bed.
• Mattress types: The type of mattress needed is impacted by the amount of time spent in bed as well as the individual’s health condition. If the patient will be in bed most or all of the day, they will need a mattress that is designed to prevent bedsores and other issues common to prolonged periods of lying down. There are gel or memory foam mattresses and other specialty options depending on needs.
• Mobility: Hospital beds can come with casters and brakes that make it easy to maneuver the bed. Locks and brakes keep the bed in place and prevent it from moving around. 
• Accessories: Different accessories that suit a patient’s needs can be added to the hospital bed. Overbed tables provide patients with a flat surface for eating or placing down any of their belongings, and these tables give caregivers a place to set supplies while providing care. IV poles that attach to the legs of hospital beds offer a tip-free means of administering IV therapy or enteral feedings. Overhead trapeze bars allow patients to lift themselves and move in bed if they are weak or injured.

Benefits of Using a Hospital Bed At Home

Hospital beds aren’t just for hospitals and nursing homes. In fact, they are a great option to have at home for your loved one so that they can be in the comfort of their home during periods of illness. Here are five benefits of home hospital beds:

1. Enhanced patient comfort and support: A good hospital bed mattress will be more comfortable than a standard mattress. They are designed to align with the body’s natural contours, so they help prevent discomfort. Plus, hospital beds allow you to easily adjust positions so that you can find a comfortable position, which also helps improve sleep quality.
2. Improved caregiver access and safety: Hospital beds make it much easier for caregivers to manage a patient’s needs. These beds can be adjusted to appropriate heights to help better facilitate necessary care, and it helps ease any physical strain a caregiver may encounter from having to move patients.
3. Facilitation of medical procedures and treatments: Caregivers can better perform any procedures or treatments required for care since patients will be in less awkward or unnatural positions.
4. Prevention of pressure ulcers and bedsores: Since the angle and position of the bed can be adjusted, hospital beds provide pressure relief and reduce areas that become sore or painful from lying still for long periods of time. 
5. Keep people home: Most people want to recover in the comfort of their homes. Hospital beds for home allow you to stay out of the often cold, clinical setting of hospitals and stay home despite any health or mobility issues. 

Considerations When Choosing a Hospital Bed

Buying a hospital bed is a big investment, so be sure to properly research the available options. Before buying a hospital bed, here are a few things to consider:

• Patient needs: Every patient is unique and has different needs depending on their health condition. Weight capacity is also important as serious injuries can occur if a bed frame collapses due to excess weight. When determining weight capacity, consider the weight of the user, mattress, bed linens, and anything else that would sit on top of the bed, such as a loved one relaxing with a patient. Also, consider the patient’s mobility requirements. A highly adjustable hospital bed is best for unsteady patients with balance issues. A fully electric bed may be the best option for someone who cannot operate a hand crank.
• Space and placement: Make sure there is plenty of space for the hospital bed. While healthcare facilities will typically factor in the amount of space they need for hospital beds, this might be a more challenging issue for home hospital beds. You need room not only for the bed but also for the caregiver so that they can maneuver around the patient and the bed. Don’t forget, you’ll also need space for any additional accessories. Wondering how big a hospital bed can be? Read our guide here.
• Budget and price: Buying a hospital bed can be costly, so be sure to budget appropriately. If you are unable to buy a new bed, buying a used hospital bed is also an option, as well as renting.
• Quality and durability of the bed: If a patient is bedridden for an extended period of time, electric hospital beds provide long-term comfort and durability. Semi-electric and manual beds are more suited for short-term use.
• Supplier reputation and customer service: Make sure to research the suppliers of the hospital beds you are considering. Check customer reviews and consider the quality of customer service, because you might need help with setup, operation, and maintenance.

Buying vs. Renting a Hospital Bed

Should you buy or rent a hospital bed for home? There are pros and cons to both, and it depends on your situation. In this section, we help you determine whether you should buy or rent a home hospital bed.

Renting a Hospital Bed

The following are the pros of renting a hospital bed:

• Short-term use: If the user is expecting to need a hospital bed for only a month or two, renting is the more practical option. Short-term rentals are a more cost-effective solution for those expecting a quick recovery.
• Try before you buy: If you are on the fence about buying an at-home hospital bed, renting allows you to try it out before making a long-term commitment. 
• Maintenance: Renting a hospital bed means you don’t have to worry about any maintenance or repairs. The rental company will take care of any issues that arise.

Here are the cons of renting a hospital bed:

• Higher long-term costs: Renting is the less-expensive option for short-term needs, but this isn’t the case for long-term illnesses. If you plan on having the bed for a significant period of time, you will likely spend more on renting. On average, it can cost anywhere from $200 to $500 a month to rent a hospital bed. 
• Limited choice: Typically, rental companies stock a limited range of hospital beds that they buy in bulk. You won’t have all the options available to you that you would have if you were to buy, which includes customizations and accessories. 
• Quality concerns: Most likely, any hospital bed you rent will have been used by many different people, so they might not come to you in the best condition. While they are cleaned and disinfected before delivery, there is no guarantee that they are entirely free of other people’s germs. If the user of the hospital bed is immunocompromised, it is even more imperative that you carefully consider if renting is right for you.

Buying a Hospital Bed

Now that we’ve covered the pros and cons of renting a hospital bed, let’s look at the pros of buying a hospital bed:

• Long-term savings: Purchasing a hospital bed is more cost-effective in the long run when it comes to injuries and illnesses that require extended recovery times. Long-term rentals end up being more costly than buying.
• Freedom of choice: When you buy, you are free to choose whatever type of hospital bed and customize it with the specifications and features you deem the most necessary for your health condition. 
• Ownership: Buying a hospital bed means you will have complete ownership, so you can modify and personalize it however you want. 

Here are the cons of buying a hospital bed:

• Upfront costs: Buying a home hospital bed usually means that you have to pay for it upfront, and many companies don’t accept insurance. However, a lot of suppliers offer financing to those who qualify in order to ease the burden of high upfront costs.
• Maintenance: Should something break or go wrong, you will be responsible for fixing it. Make sure you’re shopping for a bed designed for home use and find out what kind of maintenance they require. A good, reliable supplier should be able to assist you with a repair if necessary.

The Bottom Line on Choosing The Right Hospital Bed

The right hospital bed is important for the well-being of aging, injured, or sick individuals. When looking to buy a hospital bed, be sure to consult healthcare professionals for personalized advice before you make a decision.

On the Mend is here to help as well. We have a full selection of hospital beds for you to browse and staff on hand to answer any and all questions. Contact us on our website or by at (844) 470-.

FAQ

What is a hospital bed?

A hospital bed is an adjustable bed specifically designed for those who are elderly, disabled, or chronically ill. They provide safety, comfort, and mobility to a broad range of patients with diverse needs.

What are the main types of hospital beds?

The main types of hospital beds are manual, semi-electric, fully electric, and bariatric hospital beds. 

What are the key features of home hospital beds?

Key features of hospital beds include adjustability, side rails, mattress types, mobility, and various accessories. 

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