Nursing Benefits of the Multicare Bed
The Multicare is specifically designed to support early mobility and can be used to treat or prevent pulmonary and other complications associated with immobility. In the first of three clinical solutions posts, we explore the nursing benefits that can be achieved using the Multicare bed frame.
Speaking with Jim Grenville, a staff nurse at Llandough Hospital with over 20 years of nursing experience, we gathered his thoughts on how the bed frame has supported the care of particularly immobile patients.
Watch Jim’s description of the nursing benefits he found when using the Multicare, or continue to read more.
1. Mobilising Patients Earlier
Speaking of the typical patient demographic under his care, Jim was quick to note from his experiences that “the longer people stay in bed, the longer it takes them to get better afterwards or get back to their original baseline”.
There is significant research alluding to the detrimental affect that prolonged immobility can have on human health1 with the decline in skeletal muscle strength recorded at a rate of around 12% a week2. The Multicare bed offers a number of features that can help progress a patient’s level of mobility, beginning with the use of lateral tilt, moving up to the Mobi-lift aid for egressing safely.
“For every day in bed that they [patients] spend while they are ill, it can add weeks to their rehab. So, to actually get people moving and get them out of bed quicker has got to be of benefit to us as nurses, because it makes patients easier to look after. And if you can cut down on the amount of time they need to rehabilitate after they’re ill, that has got to be a good thing.”
2. Saves Nursing Time
“The Multicare bed can be of benefit to the nursing staff because they can do lots things that it might take more than two nurses to do normally”.
For patients who are immobile, non-compliant or even resistive to care, carrying out simple nursing procedures can require multiple members of staff to ensure it is carried out safely and without discomfort to the patient. Using the automatic lateral tilt can help to save significant nusing time, allowing turns to be carried out far more easily, whilst improving the efficiency with which in-bed nursing procedures can be carried out.
“If you’re moving the bed side-to-side, you can give the patient that little bit of an assist. One person can roll them then and return the bed back to its original position. You have an area then, with the patient off their back, to deliver personal care relatively easily.
“[This extends to] toileting, washing and dressing, and making sure the patient is in the right position to eat and drink.”
3. Supports Patient Repositioning Regimes
The Multicare’s lateral tilt function supports patient turns up to 30o, ideally suited to help prevent respiratory complications such as ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP). Notably, this also benefits nurses and patients in terms of repositioning to prevent pressure area damage. When combined with a repositioning schedule, beds like the Multicare have been shown to make a significant difference to pressure ulcer incidence, with reductions of up 67% being evidenced compared to standard care.3
“[The Multicare bed is able to support] pressure relief for patients who can’t roll sufficiently well themselves, to reposition in bed with the assistance of fewer carers than normal.
“Plus it can accomodate all the different mattresses that we use, even up to Dolphin Therapy”.
Alongside the Multicare bed frame, Medstrom offers a unique reactive mattress system that creates a simulated fluid environment. Enabling full immersion and envelopment, significantly reducing pressure, shear and tissue deformation. For more information on Dolphin Therapy, click here.
Summary
“I can’t think of many areas of nursing on a day-to-day basis where the Multicare bed wouldn’t be of benefit. They help us as nurses stay safe and they help the patients. And if it’s good for the patients you can’t even contemplate not considering that a benefit”.
In conclusion, the Multicare bed frame offers numerous nursing benefits that help to overall to save significant nursing time and improve efficiency, especially in a busy ward environment. Through the use of the automatic lateral tilt function, patients can be repositioned and turned more easily and safely with less nursing staff, in turn promoting effective patient care.
REFERENCES
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Knight, J. et al (2018). Effects of bedrest 1: Introduction and the cardiovascular system. Nursing Times 114: 12, 54-57. https://www.nursingtimes.net/clinical-archive/cardiovascular-clinical-archive/effects-of-bedrest-1-introduction-and-the-cardiovascular-system-26-11-2018/ Accessed online 28th June 2021.
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Knight J et al (2019) Effects of bedrest 5: the muscles, joints and mobility. Nursing Times [online]; 115: 4, 54-57. https://www.nursingtimes.net/clinical-archive/orthopaedics/effects-of-bedrest-5-the-muscles-joints-and-mobility-18-03-2019/ Accessed online 28th June 2021.
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Moore Z et al (2012) Using the 30º tilt to reduce pressure ulcers. Nursing Times [online]; 108: 4, 22-24. https://www.nursingtimes.net/clinical-archive/tissue-viability/using-the-30o-tilt-to-reduce-pressure-ulcers-20-01-2012/ Accessed online 28th June 2021.
