Hospital bed

These beds have special features both for the comfort and well-being of the patient and for the convenience of health care workers.

There are various pros and cons for the different types of hospital beds, depending on the functions and features available, among other factors.

[4] The modern 3-segment adjustable hospital bed was invented by Willis Dew Gatch (1877-1962), chair of the Department of Surgery at the Indiana University School of Medicine, in 1909.

[6] The modern push-button hospital bed was invented in 1945, and it originally included a built-in toilet in hopes of eliminating the bedpan.

[7] Alternating pressure mattresses use computer-controlled pumps to inflate and deflate automatically in order to lower the risk of bed sores.

[8] Many modern hospital beds are able to feature a bed exit alarm whereby a pressure pad on or in the mattress arms an audible alert when a weight such as a patient is placed on it, and activating the full alarm once this weight is removed.

This is helpful to hospital staff or caregivers monitoring any number of patients from a distance (such as a nurse's station) as the alarm will trigger in the event of a patient (especially the elderly or memory impaired) falling out of the bed or wandering off unsupervised.

This alarm can be emitted solely from the bed itself or connected to the nurse call bell/light or hospital phone/paging system.

[14] As a result, the Food and Drug Administration has set guidelines regarding the safety of side rails.

[16] Wheels enable easy movement of the bed, either within parts of the facility in which they are located, or within the room.