Do Hospital beds cause bed sores?

When people are sick, they need every love, attention, and care they can get from their caregivers and people close to them; what’s more, they need to be very comfortable. Putting them in a comfortable position will properly condition their body and help them respond adequately to whatever treatment is being given to them. 

If you look at the Hospital bed closely, you will notice that they are designed to achieve this purpose — comfort. Hospital beds can be adjusted both at the leg side and the back to ensure that the bedridden can rest comfortably in them. 

Although this does not necessarily mean that this mobile hospital equipment is 100% perfect, as we’ve seen cases of patients reporting pain after sleeping in them. But do hospital beds cause bed sore?” You will learn about this exciting discourse in this helpful article. 

Can Hospital beds cause bed sores? 

Yes, Hospital beds cause bed sores. Laying in a Hospital bed for a long time with just one side or part of the body will increase pressure on that side and lead to what is known as bedsores or pressure sores. Although in most cases, we cannot entirely blame the hospital bed for this condition because if certain corrective measures were taken, it would be an infirmity that can be avoided. 

How do Hospital beds work? 

Hospital beds work differently depending on how they are designed. An electronic hospital bed operates differently than a manual or semi-electronic one. Anyways, you will find out about how all these Hospital bed types work below. 

Fully-electronic hospital beds 

The movement of this hospital bed type is controlled electronically: The raising or lowering of the bed’s height, lifting or resting the head of the bed, or raising the foot of the bed to provide support are all controlled by a remote or a button at the side of the bed. 

Semi-electric hospital beds 

The type of this type of hospital bed is adjusted manually with the use of a hand crank as opposed to the use of a remote or button in the case of the fully-electronic type. Although the movement of the head and foot of this bed type are powered by electricity, that is how they got their name. 

Manual hospital bed 

The hand crank and lever used in adjusting this bed types heavily rely on physical effort. This type of hospital bed does not need any motor before they are moved around. 

How do hospitals treat bed sores? 

Bedsores can be treated by doing the following: 

1. Reduce the pressure on the affected side. 
2. Make sure that the wound stays clean. 
3. Ensuring that the patient has access to good nutrition. 
4. Using medical gauze or other special dressing to protect the wound from getting infected. 
5. Administer medicines like antibiotics to prevent infection. 
6. Performing healthy skin transplant to the affected area. 
7. Using negative pressure wound therapy. 
8. Removing dead or damaged tissues from the affected area. 

Do hospital beds have rails? 

Yes, hospital beds have rails. Rail is an essential part or accessory of a hospital bed because there is a great chance that patients will roll off them and fall without them. It is this rail that serves as a barrier that helps to keep patients within the bed space without tripping. 

Where do bed sores come from? 

Bed sores emanate from the limited flow of blood to the skin due to the pressure of laying on the skin. 

Why do hospital beds move? 

Some hospital beds are designed to tilt or move to certain degrees to prevent pressure ulcers or bed sores. When this bed tilts to one side, the patient will be forced to change position, thereby reducing the pressure on the side they were laying on. 

Can bed sores be deadly?

Yes, bedsores can be deadly. It is best to start treating bed sores right from the moment their symptoms become apparent. This is because this skin ulcer is highly susceptible to infection, and when this happens, the outcome can be deadly if urgent attention is not taken. 

Can bed sores be dangerous? 

Yes, bed sores can be dangerous. Like I said before, it is always good to start treating Bed soreness right from when the symptoms begin to show on the skin. When detected earlier, bed sores may not require more than primary nursing care to cure them. But when this skin malady becomes infected due to lack of proper maintenance, then it may become severe, which may be potentially dangerous. 

Do bed sores spread? 

Yes, bed sores can spread. One thing about bed sores is that not just that they take time to heal, but if not treated immediately, they can get infected and spread to other body parts.

Are Hospitals responsible for bed sore?

Yes, Hospitals are responsible for bed sores. When patients come in for medical attention, they do not go into the hospital having these sores on them; the sore is a result of the negligence of the hospital. Hence, they have to take care of any expenses that may arise from the treatment and care of the infection. 

What Hospital bed mattress fabric doesn’t have bed sores?

In reality, hospital bed fabric does not have anything to do with whether the user will have bed sores or not but rather determine how comfortable they will be in them. A pressure ulcer or bed sore is caused by the prolonged contact between the bed and the skin, which means the design of the bed has more to do with bed sore than the fabric. Certain beds that are believed to be able to prevent bed sores are capable of redistributing the weight of the patients so that pressure will not be just only on one side. 

How long do bed sores take to heal?

How long it will take before a bed sore finally heals depend on the current stage the bed sore is at. If the bed sore is at the early stage, stage 1, it can take between 1 to 3 days to heal; if it is at stage 2, it takes between 3 days and 3 weeks. Stage 3 will take up to a month or 4 to heal, while stage 4 will take a period between 3 months and a year to heal. 

How to prevent bed sores on Hospital beds?

1. The caregiver must ensure that the patient is repositioned every 2 hours. 
2. Reduce pressure on the skin by providing paddings or bolsters on the hospital beds. 
3. Ensure that the patient has access to good nutrition every day. 

The skin of the patients must be properly taken care of by ensuring proper hygiene.