Best Hospital Bed Reviews
Types of hospital beds for home use
Medical beds can be categorized in two different ways: One is how they operate while the other is the purpose they are meant for.
Categorizing according to mode of operation
We have four types of beds which are:
Manually-Operated
As the name suggests, this type of bed is manually operated. As the caregiver, you have to be near the patient all the time to see that their needs are met i.e. you will have to manually tilt them if they want to watch the telly, eat or take medicine. In other words, the head, foot and the height are manually adjusted using the hand cranks at the foot.
While this type of bed is cheap and is still able to give the patient an anatomically correct posture, it is not the most recommended since it ties you to the patient room all the time. The patient also feels like a bother to you since you cannot move away from them and they have to constantly call you to tilt or turn them.
If you cannot afford any other hospital bed though, go for this type but be ready to bear the burden of being called every time the patient needs something.
Small budget
Patient is able to make minimal movements or you do not feel bothered giving them whole day attention.
Semi- Electric
The semi electric medical bed has a noiseless motor that adjusts the head and foot positions. The height of the bed though has to be manually adjusted. This makes the semi-electric bed a little bit better as compared to the semi-electric one since the patient can adjust their head and foot positions without much help. You only assist when they want to adjust the height.
Small budget
Patient can make movements and hold the control to adjust their head and foot positions.
Fully-Electric
For the fully electric medical bed, everything adjusts seamlessly powered by a noiseless motor. The patient can therefore easily adjust the height, head and foot positions by the simple touch of a button.
Patients has limited mobility and the only thing they can do is press the adjustment button
People looking for comfort.
As the caregiver, you want some more free time.This way, as the caregiver, you are free to do other tasks as the patient will rarely call you since they can get an anatomically correct position on themselves.
Based on purposes, here are the categories:
Rehabilitative care beds
Rehabilitative beds are designed for patients who are on the way to recovery—they are on a rehabilitation path. After an orthopedic surgery and discharge from the hospital, the patient is not strong enough to sleep on a normal bed. They also need to rest for long before they can go back to their daily activities. It is ideal for those who are still undergoing IV therapy and post-surgical patients. This type of bed will be found in a rehabilitative center where you will be under the care of a physiotherapist to oversee that you gain back your muscular and bone functions.
Specialty beds
This medical bed serves different purposes as per the specific needs of the patient. There is for example the pediatric bed, intensive care and hemodialysis patients
Pediatric bed is for kids under 18. It is therefore smaller in size as compared to the adult hospital bed.
Intensive care beds are meant for patients with life threatening conditions who need specialized and ample care. It will be highly motorized to allow for procedures such as CPR and Trendelenburg.
Hemodialysis patients: patients who have kidney problems require constant dialysis treatment. Their specialty bed is also highly motorized so as to allow for dialysis as well as give the patient comfort.
How to choose the best hospital bed for hospital or home use
In getting the best hospital bed for hospital or home use, you need to make sure that the bed has the following:
Is Electric over manual bed
With a manual bed, the caregiver has to from time to time come adjust the bed tilt as per the needs of the patient. For the Electric bed on the other hand, all that needs not happen. The bed can be adjusted using a handheld control and therefore it is easy to use. What’s more, if the patient still has a good grip of the handheld control, they will be able to adjust the bed height and tilt on their own without calling out for help. This is a plus for the patients since they might at times feel that they are helpless and have to torment others anytime they wish to do anything.
Wheels/Casters
The wheels which are also known as casters are important for moving the bed along. Since the patient might be too heavy to lift or even move, hospital beds come fitted with durable, easy to move wheels.
Elevation angle of the head
Unlike normal beds that are flat, this type of bed need to be slightly elevated on the head for the patient’s comfort as they eat, talk or watch television. The elevation also makes it easier for the caregiver to easily interact with the patient, clean them, check their vitals, give them food, medicine or even talk with them.
Titling
Tilting to 15-30% so that the patient is comfy while lying on the bed. The tilting also ensures that the patient does not get pressure ulcers. It is also good for the caregiver since they will not have to bend so low while taking care of the patient.
Bed exit alarm
Your hospital bed needs to have a bed exit alarm. The bed exit alarm is usually fitted on the mattress or beneath the body frame. The alarm always gives a beep when the patient rises from the bed. This is important so that the caregiver can know when a patient falls or loiters away from the bed unsupervised.
CPR function
If the patient were to need CPR function, the bed must in a way that it can be easily flattened for this function to be done.
Specialist beds depending on the need of your patient: e.g. turning beds, standing beds and legacy beds.
Leather Macintosh for wetting. If emptying bowel, you may need the bed to have a hollow part
Anti-slip
The elevation angle and tilting of the bed body has its own demerits in that over time, the patient’s spine gets rounded or curved due to the pressure exerted by the upper part of the body. To avoid this rounding of the spine, manufacturers have devised an anti-slip effect such that the patient can watch telly, eat or talk in a slightly upright position without hurting their spine.
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Side rails
Side rails on the sides of the bed make the patient feel more secure and throw away the fear that they might fall in their sleep.
A heavy, easy to wash leather Macintosh
For invalids or muscular dystrophy patients who might not be able to wake up to empty their bladder, an easy to wash Macintosh is necessary so that even if they wet their beds, all you have to do is clean it up.
Cheapest Manual Hospital beds in 2018
Found in hospitals and also homes, the manual adjustable bed is cost friendly and helps with the ergonomics of the patient. It works on a manual mechanism where you have to adjust the height, head and foot positions using the crank. The manual medical bed is ideal for that rehabilitative patient whose mobility has not been fully affected and they can adjust the bed on their own or rather the caregiver has the time to adjust the bed for the patient.
It is also ideal when you have a small budget. The manual bed can either have full or half rails depending on the security needs of your patient. If they are likely to fall in their sleep, go for the full rails option. At a slightly lower cost is the half rails which would be ideal if the patient is not likely to fall in their sleep.
Below here, we look at the top manufacturers of the manual medical bed and discuss why whether you need to buy from them, features of each of the beds as well as the pros and cons.
Invacare Manual bed 5307IVC with innerspring and full rails
Though based on a manual mechanism, the bed has same convenient features as the electric bed. The cranks will raise and lower the patient’s body such that you can achieve a trendenberg or even the reverse trendenberg position with ease.
It can accommodate a weight capacity of upto 450lbs and as such you need not worry even if you have a heavy patient.
The bed is easy to clean up and as such the patient will be happy to lie on a comfortable clean bed as they recuperate.
It has full rails shipped with it so that you the patient will feel safe and secure even when you are away. The full rails are also a must if your patient has the tendency to want to rise and go out without supervision or is a sleep walker and you fear that they might fall in their sleep walk or unsupervised loitering.
However, there are still other designs that come with half rails, of course at a lower cost. You just need to choose what you want.
Features
Has a 15” to 23” bed height.
The sleep surface measures 80” in length and 36” in width.
It comes with a 5 year warranty on the welds as well as a 2 year warranty on all the mechanical operations of the bed.
Has a strong steel design that assures you of the bed durability.
Has durable casters that can be locked when you want the bed to remain in a solitary position.
Pinch free and easy to clean up
Just like all manual beds, you will have to manually adjust the height, head and foot position of the patient.
One huge downside of the Invacare bed was the assembly instructions. They were not clear and we had to watch a video clip before we understood how the bed needs to be assembled. We also found the same complains among amazon reviews showing that other people were having the same assembly problem. Not to worry though because we now have a video clip showing how to quickly and easily assemble the bed here
Drive medical manual hospital bed, brown 36”
The drive medical manual bed comes with hand cranks at the foot of the bed which you use to adjust the height, foot and head positions of the patient. Once you are done adjusting, you can tuck them in and this is a huge plus since it prevents injuries and hurts lest someone passes near the foot of the bed and stumbles on them.
It has a zinc coated spring deck for durability which can neither be twisted or bended.
Features
The actual weight of the bed is 165lbs which is not so much and as such you will be able to lift and carry the delivery boxes when they arrive.
The bed height once installed with casters can go up to 24.5”
The sleeping area measures 89” by 34.88”
You can interchange the head and foot ends with Invacare or Sunrise depending on what you want.
Easy to clean up
As with all other manual beds, the caregiver or partially mobile patient has to use the crank to adjust the foot and head positions of the bed as well as the height.
You could forget to hide the cranks and hurt yourself or the patient
Drive Medical Multi Height Manual Hospital Bed with Half Rails & Innerspring Mattress
Another one the from Drive Medical manufacturer, this bed works best with an innerspring mattress. It comes with half rails and is ideal if you are on a low budget but want your patient to sleep in an anatomically good position.
The cranks can be folded to avoid possible injury on either you or the patient
Features
The product measures 190.9 x 59.7 x 113.8 inches
It weighs 214 pounds
Has a zinc coated spring deck
Easy to clean
The rails provide security for the patient so that they do not fear falling.
You will have to manually adjust the height, head and feet position.
If your patient falls often, the half rails may not be of adequate help.
There is a possibility of you forgetting to turn away the cranks that could injure you.
Top Semi Electric Medical Beds
Lets say that the patient is semi-mobile and can adjust the height of the bed using the hand crank or that maybe you are short of cash to go for the full electric beds, then the semi-electric bed is someone worth looking out for.
It comes with a manually adjustable bed height as well as pendant control to change the foot and head position automatically.
Drive Medical Semi Electric Hospital Bed Mattress, Full Rails
Fitted with full rails, a smooth, quietly operating motor, this type of bed is easy to set up.
Features
Its dimensions measures 136.4 x 39 x 77.7 inches
Weighs 211 pounds
Just like all Drive medical products, it has a zinc coat on the deck
Full rails make patient feel safe and cared for
You still have to adjust the height manually unlike the electric bed.
Best Electric Medical Bed
In choosing an electric bed, you are choosing comfort over price. It could also be that your patient has limited mobility and as such, they are not able to adjust the cranks. So, let’s look at the best electric hospital beds.
Full Electric Hospital Bed Package (Invacare Full Electric Home Hospital Bed Package w/Foam Mattress, Half Rail Set)
The best present that you can give to an immobile patient is the full electric invacare bed that comes with a soft hugging foam mattress and a half rail set lest they fall in their dreams. If you have a kid suffering from muscular dystrophy, this is the best thing you can get them. Other than comfort for the patient, the bed is also great in that it allows you time to carry out other household chores other than spend time adjusting manual cranks and checking that they do not hurt anyone. At the touch of a button, the bed adjusts the height or even change the head and foot position with ease so that the patient can watch telly or even sleep flat for a CPR.
Best Hospital bed for home use in 2018
Features
With the mattress, the minimum height it can go to is 21″ and a maximum of 28″
Can support a weight capacity of upto 450lbs
Has a sleep surface of 80″ (L) x 36″ (W)
Comes with rubber casters that leave no trail.
Quiet motor operation
Has an easy to use pendant control
The rubber casters would not break, make hissing noises while moving or leave a trail behind.
Has a warranty of upto 5 years for the bed frame as well as 2 years for the electrical parts
Very comfortable mattress which is inclusive of the total cost
Can adjust to a really low height and this would prevent you from a possible high fall.
Invacare are not that good with giving assembly instructions. You can watch this video though to familiarize yourself with how to set it up once it arrives.
Drive Medical Full Electric Ultra Light Plus Hospital Bed, Brown, 36″
The drive medical full electric bed comes with a noiseless motor that can be installed even when the patient is lying on the bed. In the case of a power failure, the motor can continue working to lower the head and foot for nine times before its inbuilt battery dies.
It has a half rail for security
Features
Has a zinc coated deck
Interchangeable head and foot boards
Hand pendant connected to the bed for automatic adjustment by a press of the button
Has 88.5 x 35.8 x 35.8 inches dimension
Weighs 162 pounds
Like all electric beds, it gives you the opportunity to relax and not do the tedious work of crank adjustment.
All you need is press on the pendant control.
The 9v battery in the motor allows you to continue lowering and adjusting the bed for nine times when power goes out.
Rails provide security Easy to clean up
Has no mattress and as such you will have to spend more to buy the mattress
Wrap Up of the types of medical beds for your patient
Despite costs being a hindrance, the ideal bed would be full electric. This gives the patient comfort and they feel indeed loved and cared for that you could have spent the money on other projects but you decided to forego all that so that they may feel safe, loved and somehow independent.
The manual bed is great when you are on a low budget and have all the time to be around the patient.
The semi electric bed is the middle guy who combines the advantage of the two [child-pages depth="1"]
