Basically, there are two kinds of hospital beds that you are likely to find in a hospital. There are the manual beds and the electrical ones. Manual beds require the use of physical effort to change their position, for example, to raise or lower the head of the bed. Electrical beds normally have motors to perform all these functions. Medical bed maintenance for these two types of beds may be different due to the different ways in which they are built. However, the purpose of medical bed maintenance is the same, and that is to ensure that the bed remains in service for longer. This can be done in two ways: through proper use to delay wear and tear, and through regular mechanical and electrical maintenance.
Why bed maintenance is essential?
Medical bed maintenance is a very important activity that cannot be overlooked at all. The electrical and mechanical components of any medical bed need to be regularly checked even if they don't have any apparent problem. This ensures that problems are fixed as soon as they start. This practice makes it cheaper overall to maintain the hospital bed. Regular replacement of parts, even in the absence of any obvious need to replace them, prolongs the life of the bed too.
Medical bed maintenance also has a bearing on the safety and comfort of the bed's occupant as well. Beds that are maintained regularly are overall more comfortable, and this may even have a role in the recovery of the patient. Apart from that, medical beds can get damaged in such a way that they become harmful to the patients. This could be due to mechanical faults (such as weakness of the bed's structure which could cause it to collapse) or electrical (exposed wires could cause electrical shocks).
Proper use of medical beds is essential in slowing down the wear and tear of the bed and prolonging the life of the bed considerably. However, even if you are very careful about how the use of the bed, you cannot neglect regular medical bed maintenance. This is because when the bed is regularly maintained, even in the absence of any problem, the chances of solving minor problems are greater. As with most other things in life, it's much cheaper to undertake regular maintenance and replacement of minor parts than to repair the bed when it's too damaged.
A brief look at the process of medical bed maintenance
First things first, medical bed maintenance should be completed by a professional. The process involves inspection of various aspects of any bed, such as the structural integrity of the frame, and making any necessary adjustments. For instance, pieces of metal from the frame that may have snapped may need to be welded into place. Apart from that, the movement mechanisms (the system necessary for elevating and depressing different parts of the bed) also need to be checked and replaced as needed. For electrical beds, the electrical components may also need some repair or replacement, such as repair of motors and cables. All these tasks need to be performed by a professional, as they have the skill required for the job. At all times, you must resist the urge to repair medical beds as a poor job could lead to increased costs of repair or replacement in the future.