Hospital Beds

A hospital bed is a bed built for patient care rather than just sleep. Its mattress platform is split into sections, so the head and the foot can be raised separately, and on many beds the whole platform can be raised or lowered. Side rails along the edges help stop a patient rolling out and give them something to hold when they shift position or sit up.

Hospital beds are cleaned every time a patient leaves, and wiped down daily while they are in use. An epoxy coating seals a mild steel frame against moisture and cleaning agents as long as it is intact, so chips and scratches should be touched up before the steel underneath starts to rust. A stainless steel frame has no coating to damage, which is why it is chosen where beds are disinfected most often.

The positions have clinical uses. With the head raised, the patient sits up to eat, breathe more easily or talk; nursing texts call a head-up angle of about 30–45 degrees semi-Fowler's position and about 45–60 degrees Fowler's position, and keeping the head of the bed raised is standard practice for ventilated patients. Raising the foot section takes pressure off the legs and helps reduce swelling. Raising the whole bed to working height saves nurses from bending while they care for the patient, and lowering it makes getting in and out safer.

There are two ways to make these adjustments. On a manual bed, staff turn cranks or move levers to set each position. On an automatic bed, the positions are changed with controls instead of by hand, which is quicker and lets staff, and sometimes the patient, adjust the bed without effort.

Side rails need care. Safety guidance from the US FDA and the Hospital Bed Safety Workgroup warns that gaps between the rails, the mattress and the bed frame can trap a patient's head or limbs, and that patients sometimes climb over raised rails and fall. The mattress should fit the platform without large gaps, and rails should be checked and used according to each patient's needs.

Our hospital beds have height-adjustable positions for the head and feet and adjustable side rails. We make them in manual and automatic versions, with an epoxy-coated mild steel frame, and also in stainless steel.