North America Medical Beds & Chairs

Medical beds, specifically of the regular type, are units that do not fall into any specialized category. These beds are manual, semi-electric and electric beds. Older beds and many home beds are manual or semi-electric while hospitals utilize semi-electric and electric beds. Hospitals upgrade their beds as needed; these are usually electronic beds. One of the main objectives of beds is to reduce caretaker strain. This is accomplished by having a bed with adjustable height and having a bed that is easily transportable.

Transferring a patient from one surface to another is another concern for healthcare personnel. The safest and easiest transfers are accomplished by having two surfaces the same height. Fall prevention is another concern for bed design, especially for weak patients or those that have limited mobility. Beds have side rails to assist in preventing patients from falling out of bed. Other bed types include ICU, pediatric, bariatric, respiratory, birthing and home care beds.

The term medical chairs can refer to many different types of chairs including ENT chairs, examination chairs, blood drawing chairs, cardiac chairs, dialysis chairs, ophthalmic chairs, surgery chairs and many more. Rehabilitation chairs, for example, are indicated for special needs. These chairs allow for movement of the individual such as patient transfer chairs; transformable chairs which can recline if needed; geriatric chairs to assist the elderly in mobility and security; pediatric chairs; bariatric chairs for obese individuals; and toilet chairs to assist at bedside toileting.