furniture
Under pressure
Exploring how modern mattresses are helping to reduce pressure ulcers among patients, a problem that costs the NHS £1.4m a day
A
lot of design expertise goes into the creation of modern hospital beds – from both a patient safety
and a staff safety point of view. But it’s not only the bed frame that
needs to be considered. Increasingly, the market is seeing a
plethora of innovative new mattress systems, which are addressing a very- real problem facing hospitals and care facilities up and down the country – pressure ulcers. Estimated to occur in 4-10% of all
patients admitted to acute hospitals in the UK – more than 700,000 people a year – demographic factors such as age and obesity continue to contribute to this challenge.
A false economy Mike Hutson, managing director of Rober, told hdm: “Pressure ulcers are linked to prolonged hospitalisation, pain, social isolation, and, in the worst cases, death, which is why it is so important that patients, especially the elderly who may be bed bound or immobile, are treated on the most- appropriate mattress. It is also the reason why the prevention of ulcers is such a key driver for hospitals globally.” Nursing a patient on the wrong type of
mattress for their needs is ultimately how pressure ulcers are caused, he added.
“Less-innovative solutions may be
attractive for cost reasons, but in the long term they will no doubt cost the hospital more money and are, therefore, a false economy,” he warns. Mattresses contribute to the
prevalence of pressure ulcers in a number of ways. For example, some products rely
on someone setting the patient weight manually. Hutson said: “To relieve pressure
on heel areas, for example, a cell can be manually deflated. However, in a busy nursing environment staff can forget to re-inflate it and this can cause pressure ulcers." Rober’s design team has overcome
this through the use of vacuum-assist technology which provides continual ‘zero pressure’ without the need for manual adjustment by staff.
The right support And its NoDec Total Heel Protection (THP) further improves pressure relief, with a particular focus on the heel section, a problem area for ulcers. “It is estimated that 80-95% of
pressure ulcers are avoidable with the right support mattress and educational programmes, training and campaigns", said Hutson. said Hutson.
Modern solutions work in a variety of
ways, but predominately use air and innovative materials to reduce the pressure between the mattress and the patient’s body. Hutson said: “Our technology creates
a wave-like ripple effect that is specifically designed to replicate the body’s natural movements. “This provides regular and complete
pressure elimination to all parts of the body that come into contact with the mattress, preventing pressure injuries from developing, as well as promoting the healing of established ulcers.” There are four key focus areas for
furniture specifiers when choosing new healthcare mattresses, and these are driving design. They are microclimate control, patient safety and comfort, maximising infection control, and offering additional nursing support. “We believe modern ‘zero pressure’
mattresses offer the best solution for hospitals,” said Hutson. “They are fully automatic and
patients nursed on them require less manual repositioning. “And they can offer additional
features such as a touchscreen display panels, comfort settings, timed static modes, audible and visual alarms, and permanently-inflated side formers.” Hill-Rom is another company at the
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