Factors to Consider When Choosing a Hospital Bed for Home ...

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Hospital beds should be comfortable, safe, and stable to provide an ideal resting place for patients that need time to recover. Unlike conventional home beds, hospital beds have great positional versatility and security. These beds come in varying designs, sizes, and styles. As such, choosing an ideal hospital bed can sometimes be a daunting task if you don&#;t know what to consider.

This post will present to you some of the most important considerations that you should make when choosing a hospital bed for your patient&#;s home care. They&#;re top user-based considerations and bed features that you should look at before choosing a hospital bed.

The Size of the Patient

Tall patients need extended bed surfaces, while short patients need shortened bed surfaces. If your patient weighs more than average, then you may need a sturdy bariatric bed because such beds can bear more weight. If your patient is a child, then you&#;ll need a small-sized bed with a miniaturized hospital bed frame.

The Mobility of the Patient

Can your patient get in and out of bed with ease? The ability of your patient to get in and out of bed helps in informing you about the level of support that may be necessary for using the bed. For example, if your patient is unable to adjust themselves well while in bed, then you&#;ll need a hospital bed with a hospital bed frame that is adjustable.

The Strength and Mobility of the Caregiver?

If the primary caregiver doesn&#;t have enough strength to operate a manual crank on a hospital bed to adjust its position, then you should strongly consider buying an electric bed. Electric beds are comfortable to work with because the hospital bed frame gets adjusted through electrical means that don&#;t need too much energy.

What are some bed features you should consider?

1. Positioning Options

A custom hospital bed frame design is flexible and adjustable. Standard beds used in hospitals allow you to adjust basic patient positioning options. But some modern hospital beds provide a more extensive range of position change options. You should thus choose a hospital bed with the most position options.

2. Gap Protection

Most hospital beds that have sides or rails are designed to have some gap protection. This feature prevents the possibility of a patient getting stuck between the rails and the bed. The gap protection is an essential feature for patients with many nocturnal movements or seizures.

3. Side Rails

The side rails in a hospital bed frame protect the patient by preventing them from falling out of their beds. These rails also provide support to patients when they&#;re moving in and out of bed.

4. Storage and Bed Scales

Some hospital beds have storage compartments and weighing scales. The patient can store medication in these compartments. The in-built scale can get used in determining the patient&#;s weight during medical checks.

5. Affordability

Buying a new bed is often the best option, but it may be costly. If you find that you don&#;t have enough funds, then you should choose to buy a used hospital bed. Such beds are affordable, and they&#;re also tried and tested. The nation has an estimated 2.5 million nursing home and hospital beds that are under use.

So, try and secure refurbished hospital beds from hospitals that are upgrading or closing down. You may also get other refurbished items, which may include a hospital stretcher, a stretcher bed mattress, a stryker hospital bed, or a hill ROM patient bed, and other bed accessories from hospital sales.

Buying a hospital bed for patients that need home care can make their lives comfortable and simplify the work of the primary caregiver. It&#;s advisable to get a comfortable bed with many positioning options, and safety features. To make the right choice, you&#;ll have to consider the patient&#;s needs, the bed&#;s safety features, bed positioning options, available bed accessories, and affordability.

With all these considerations, you should be able to secure a safe, comfortable, and sturdy bed for your patient.

Struggling to get in and out of bed? Need relief from pressure sores or achey joints? Dealing with a chronic health condition? Home hospital beds can provide significant relief, improve health outcomes, and improve everyday life for a wide range of people. 

Here are our top tips for choosing a home hospital bed to improve you or a loved one&#;s quality of life. 

Manual, Semi-Electric, and Electric Hospital Beds

How much would you like to rely on manpower to change patient positioning in your home hospital bed? 

Want more information on 3 crank hospital bed? Feel free to contact us.

Manual Hospital Beds: Rely on cranks to raise and lower the head and feet of the bed without motors

Semi-Electric Hospital Beds: Use a motorized system to raise and lower the head and knees of the bed, but often rely on a manual crank system for vertical adjustments.

Electric Hospital Beds: These beds are fully electric&#; users can change their position in bed, transition to a seated position, or raise and lower the platform of a bed with the push of a button. 

If cost is an important consideration for you, manual and semi electric beds are the most affordable option.

Click here to learn more about the details between electric and manual beds.

Weight Capacity

First and foremost, you need to ensure that the bed can fully support your patient. The weight capacity of the bed can vary depending on type and model, but most standard hospital beds support a weight capacity of up to 500lbs.  

Looking for a bed that can support larger patients? Look into bariatric beds, which can safely support patients of up to 1,000lbs. 

Safety Features

When it comes to effective caregiving, nothing is more important than patient safety. Depending on your patient or loved one&#;s specific mobility and health concerns, certain hospital bed safety features can help support their day to day wellbeing. 

Modern home hospital beds come with a wide range of safety features, including (but not limited to!):

• Bed Exit Alarms: Early warning systems can alert caregivers when a patient attempts to leave their bed or in the case of accidental falls.
• Bed Rails: Rails to help offer support to users when entering and exiting the bed, as well as preventing falls at night.
• Hi-Low Adjustability: Most fully electric hospital beds come with the ability to raise or lower the height of the bed platform. This allows for much safer transfers for patients who struggle with mobility. 

Warranty

Each manufacturer provides their own warranty terms, which may protect against defects in materials and workmanship, mechanical failure, electrical components, and more. 

Before you purchase a hospital bed, make sure to check the warranty terms to understand what&#;s covered (and what&#;s not). 

Pro-Tip: When browsing the MedMart online catalog, we make it easy for you. Check out the &#;Warranty&#; tab on each product description page&#; we&#;ll tell you exactly what the warranty terms are for that hospital bed!

Mattress Options

If you&#;re looking to purchase a hospital bed package, they often come with the mattress included with the hospital bed frame. Be sure to look into the benefits of different mattress types to best suit your patient or facility. 

Some common mattress types include: 

• Foam: Single, dual, or tri-layered&#; foam mattresses are the most common mattress material.
• Pressure Redistribution: Mattresses designed to prevent bed sores and aches and pains.
• Air Alternation Mattress: Air mattresses that help relieve and redistribute pressure through inflated individual cells. 

Bed Rail Options

Hospital bed rails, also known as bed guards or assist rails, attach to the side of a hospital bed to help improve safety, comfort, and independence for patients and seniors using home hospital beds. 

They can come as part of a hospital bed package, or purchased separately. Some popular types of bed rails include: 

• Quarter and Half-Length Bed Rails: These rails allow you to choose how far along the bedframe you&#;d like them to extend. Half-Length bed rails cover half the length of the bed, and help provide a barrier for patients to avoid falling out of bed while asleep.
• Assist Rails: Rails that are designed to provide support and a steady handhold for patients when entering and exiting the bed. 

Cost

When searching for any at-home or facility medical equipment product, it&#;s important to stay in budget. Hospital beds can range in cost from as little as $600 to over $5,000 depending on the model and features included. 

The good news? With hundreds of available hospital bed options, it&#;s guaranteed that you&#;ll be able to find a solution that fits your budget. 

Additional Features

Don&#;t forget about additional features and add-ons! Differing home hospital bed models come with a wide range of features and bed accessories to make daily life and care easier. From built-in scales, to USB charging ports, under-bed lighting, and more&#; don&#;t forget to review the extra details that make each hospital bed unique. 

The right home hospital bed can make all the difference in everyday life for both you and a loved one. We encourage you to browse our collection of industry-leading home hospital beds, or contact our team or product experts to find your perfect fit. 

For more information, please visit medical bed manufacturer.