New models of hospital beds will be able to monitor patient’s heart and respiratory rates, checking vital signs up to 100 times a minute. The beds will then alert hospital staff if the patient’s condition worsens.
In recent years, hospital beds have added features such as a built in scale to weigh patients without moving them, and special mattress features to help prevent bed sores. Some types of beds have motors to help move the bed when needed. The newest updates of smart beds will have even more technology upgrades.
The beds will be able to monitor patient movement to indicate that a patient is at risk of a fall. This could be especially helpful in elderly or confused patients. An alarm would then notify the nursing team that the patient is trying to get out of bed and needs assistance.
The beds can be connected with the electronic health records for each patient, putting their real-time data right into their charts.
The downside is that the new beds will be the cost. While standard hospital beds can cost up to $15,000 each, the new beds may be double that amount.
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