Evaluation: Medical/Surgical and Critical Care Bed Frames

Medical/surgical and critical care beds are used in the acute care and ICU areas of the hospital, respectively. Medical/surgical beds may have features such as various positioning options, integrated scales, and integrated bed-exit alarms. Critical care beds have accessories and design features that help meet the special needs of patients in critical care units. Such features include removable headboards and footboards, motorized drives for powered transport, more positioning options (such as chair positioning), and compatibility with in-bed fluoroscopy and radiographic procedures. These features minimize the need for repositioning and transferring the patient, increase access to the patient, and facilitate patient transport to other departments.

Many beds offer frames that are compatible with a variety of surfaces of the...