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Advantages and Features of Powered Hospital Beds
Powered hospital beds have several key features that provide benefits over traditional manual beds. One of the biggest advantages is adjustable positioning. Powered beds are equipped with button or hand control panels that allow patients to easily raise and lower the head and foot sections of the bed. This customizable positioning helps to reduce pressure points and increase patient comfort. It also makes tasks like eating, reading, and therapy exercises much easier for patients to do from their bed.
Another major benefit of powered beds is their ability to assist patients who have limited mobility. Buttons can be programmed for functions like raising and lowering the entire bed, elevating the upper body for proper sitting position, or adjusting the height and angle of the mattress. This makes it simpler for those who have difficulty bending or moving to get in and out of bed on their own or roll over on their side without assistance. The electric controls eliminate the need for caregivers to manually crank or push heavy levers.
Safety is also improved with powered hospital beds. Features such as automatic brake locks and backup battery power help to prevent falls. Electric beds have position alarms and readout displays showing the current settings. Bed exit sensors are also available to alert staff if a patient attempts to get up unattended. Specialized surfaces and railings contribute to fall prevention as well. Overall, powered beds reduce the physical demands on patients and caregivers for safety, mobility, and comfort.
Benefits of Manual Hospital Beds
While powered beds offer convenient control and positioning abilities, manual beds still have advantages over their electric counterparts in some areas. For one, manual beds are often less expensive to purchase than powered models, especially important for healthcare facilities on tight budgets. Without complex electric components, manual beds also tend to be simpler and require less maintenance over time which lowers long term costs.
Since manual operation does not rely on battery power, manual beds will always function even during power outages or other emergencies. They do not run the risk of being unusable if electrical issues occur. The manual cranking or levers also provide a backup mechanism for positioning assistance in case a powered bed’s system fails or battery runs out. Most manual designs are fairly basic and lightweight making them easy to transport within a hospital. Some are also foldable to conserve storage space when not in use.
Differences in comfort levels also vary between manual and powered options. Not every patient requires or prefers the programmable adjustments of an electric bed. Some may find a simpler manual design that allows basic positioning changes to be just as comfortable or even preferable without intimidating technology. As long as mobility is not severely limited, a manual bed can meet basic needs adequately in many situations.
Choosing Between Powered and Manual Hospital Beds
When selecting hospital beds, factors like a patient’s individual needs, available budget and space, and intended usage environment must all be considered. While powered beds deliver unparalleled customization and assisted mobility support for more fragile patients, the costs associated are notably higher. Manual beds are still viable when budgets are tight and a patient’s medical condition does not require advanced positioning help.
Some healthcare facilities opt to use a mixture of both powered and manual beds based on room type and typical patient profiles. Intensive care units and specialty areas benefit most from reliable electric models, but lower acuity areas like general medical-surgical floors can manage well with a majority of less expensive manual beds. Periodically assessing bed usage trends can help facilities refine which locations would gain the most benefit from adding powered equipment over time as budgets allow.
At the patient level, consulting physicians and therapy evaluations also play a key role in determining appropriate bed selection. Powered beds are most appropriate when limited mobility, safety risks, and customizable positioning are priorities to aid recovery processes or quality of life. But simpler manual care can meet basic rest and healing needs for patients with fewer medical complications. Overall, choosing options on a case-by-case basis delivers the best balance of benefit versus cost.
With proper matching of bed features to patient profiles and environment factors like space and budgets in mind, both powered and manual hospital beds serve vital functions within the healthcare system. Carefully considering each scenario leads to optimized usage that enhances care quality in the most efficient manner. Through regular assessments and strategic allocation of evolving resources, facilities can maximize benefits to patients from both electric and manual bed technology.
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- Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
- We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
