What are the benefits of implementing powered bed movers in hospitals?

If you’re reading this article, you’re likely looking at ways to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injuries to porters and nursing staff from moving beds and stretchers around your hospital, and you’re possibly considering implementing powered bed & stretcher movers.

The purpose of this article is to explain how implementing powered bed movers can reduce the risk of injury and improve efficiency when moving beds and stretchers around your hospital.

The benefits of implementing bed movers in hospitals

Improve safety

The average hospital bed or stretcher weighs in the region of 150kg. Add an average patient weight of 78kg, and this means that porters are pushing approximately 228kg when moving a bed or trolley around the hospital. When you consider the average hospital in the UK moves hospital beds hundreds of times per day, the obvious strain of this can cause MSIs amongst the portering staff.

By implementing powered bed movers, the bed mover takes the weight of the bed, causing the force on a porter to be virtually eliminated, which removes the risk of MSIs and strain injuries. 

Improve efficiency

To combat the risk of MSIs, portering staff will often be needed to double up when moving beds and stretchers around the hospital. This has a negative impact on portering resources and time efficiency.

Just one porter can safely operate a powered bed mover, which increases staff capacity and resources, improving efficiency in your trust. 

Better working conditions for staff

Both of these factors work towards improving working conditions for your portering staff, and by doing so, staff turnover and morale will be boosted. 

Tips on how to implement bed movers effectively

Over the years we’ve proven time and time again that the secret to a successful project comes down to the implementation. This is why at Felgains we take implementation very seriously and strive to do all we can to support you with it. 

If a project is implemented successfully, with every relevant party bought in and on board with the project, you have a high chance of seeing excellent results from the implementation. 

Training

Training is of utmost importance when talking about project implementation. We offer free training at the time of the delivery of every bed mover, and we highly recommend that as many day-to-day users of the bed mover as possible are present for the training. 

If this isn’t possible, we can offer a train-the-trainer session, where we train a handful of key staff and give them the tools and resources they need to effectively cascade the training through the hospital. Follow-up training may be necessary, particularly if you have new staff join, and we are happy to support you with this. 

Engaging your EBME department

As well as training the day-to-day users of the bed movers, we recognise the importance of training your EBME department on how to maintain, service and repair the equipment to allow for a fast and efficient turnaround should something go wrong. 

Training your EBME department on the Felgains bed movers is something we recommend to ensure effective implementation and project success, and it’s something we are happy to support you with. 

Conclusion

I trust this article has helped you understand the benefits of implementing bed movers in your hospital. If you have any questions or would like to trial our range of bed movers, feel free to get in touch on 01471 741144, or via the form below.

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