Whether you’re staying at a hospital or require a hospital bed at home, you may be wondering - What are the dimensions of a hospital bed?
We’re all different shapes and sizes, so it stands to reason that hospital beds also vary in size.
Today we’re going to look at hospital bed dimensions and find out what size hospital bed a person may require based on their body type.
What are the Hospital Bed Dimensions?
There is no set size for hospital beds. Hospital bed dimensions are determined by the manufacturer and will vary depending on specific requirements.
The only way to find out an accurate size of a certain hospital bed would be to measure it yourself or to contact the manufacturer who should possess the correct data.
Hospital Bed Dimensions - Requirements
Here you’ll find an article written by Neal Wiggermann, Kathryn Smith and Dee Kumpar titled “What Bed Size Does a Patient Need? The Relationship Between Body Mass Index and Space Required to Turn in Bed”.
This article describes the necessity for accurate hospital bed sizes. It also outlines the required size of a hospital bed for a patient to be able to turn on each side based on their body type.
The article states that according to Oertwich, Kindschuh, & Bergstrom “If a patient is unable to self-reposition or be easily turned by caregivers, that patient may not as frequently off-load parts of the body exposed to sustained pressure that can lead to pressure injuries”.
As suggested by Fragala, Perry, and Fragala, it then continues to note that a hospital bed of insufficient size for the patient could increase the likelihood of them rolling past the edge of the bed and falling.
Another point which the article makes is that there are financial implications of using a hospital bed which is too wide. “Wider beds tend to cost more, and using a bed that is needlessly wide may incur unnecessary costs for the healthcare institution”.
What Hospital Bed Dimensions Would Somebody Need?
According to the findings, the required size of a hospital bed can vary based on the patient’s BMI and whether they can self-position or not.
For example, a patient with a BMI of up to 45, who can self-position, would require a bed width of 91 cm (36”). Similarly, a patient who is dependent or at risk of dependence would require a 91 cm (36”) wide bed, providing that their BMI was up to 35.
On the higher scale, a patient who can self-position and has a BMI of more than 55 would require a 127 cm (50”) bed. If they are dependent or at risk of dependence, the same bed size would suit somebody with a BMI higher than 40.
Hospital Bed Mattresses
We stock a wide hospital bed mattress range here at GB Healthcare. As a professional foam converter, we can also manufacture hospital bed mattresses to your size requirements. If you would like to know more about our hospital bed mattresses and how we can help you, contact us today.