If you have been to a hospital, you may have realized that there were different types of beds in the different hospital rooms. You may have also wondered why there are so many different beds as they are all serving patients. These beds come in different shapes and sizes because of the different patients' cases that hospitals receive. That is to say, that medical bed types used in a hospital vary depending on the conditions of the patients that the health facility serves.
Some patients have various bodily injuries, maybe from accidents or burns. Such people cannot use the same beds as those who are admitted with stomach complications, for instance. Their ailments are quite different, thus their lying positions may need to differ. There should, therefore, be a bed for every health complication that the hospitals deal with through admissions. Here are some of the medical bed types that exist.
The four main medical bed types
- The first one is called the stretcher. This is usually a mobile bed that is used to carry patients who require emergency medical assistance. Stretchers are normally found in the emergency room and the ambulances. Some have folding legs for easy wheeling of patients from their homes, or wherever they are found, to the hospital. Others have a provision for four handles that can be used by four people to carry the patients. Stretchers are commonly used to ferry victims of accidents to the ambulances and then to the hospital.
- Another medical bed type is the low air loss bed. These are beds fitted with special cushions and a system to blow air into sacs within the mattress. They are usually used to carry or accommodate patients with skin grafts or burns.
- The other type of beds you can find in hospitals is the low beds. These are specifically made for patients who are prone to falling off the bed during their sleep, thus hurting themselves. They usually stand at between eight inches and two feet off the ground. You will also realize that some of these low beds are made with high or low maneuvering settings.
- In addition to the above medical bed types, there is also the electric beds. These are the latest medical beds that you can find in modern hospitals and other major hospitals around the world. They have a set of buttons on the side for easy control. At the press of a button, the doctor or nurse, or even the patient, can adjust the bed by either lowering or raising it.
The standard code for all beds
When patients go to hospital to receive the medical service, they often want to be allocated beds that are comfortable enough to at least help them forget about their pain. Despite the different medical bed types, a good hospital bed should always be adjustable and if it uses a motor, the motor should withstand repeated use and be quiet during operation. The number of beds available in a hospital should also be able to accommodate the number of patients that the hospital receives. Remember, the bed itself is part of the medical service.