Bed management systems help healthcare facilities manage patient positioning and optimize patient flow. They can consist of whiteboards, telephones, or sophisticated computer software. Different systems have unique features and can be customized for a facility’s needs. They also help with nurse assignments, room preparation, and equipment transport.
A bed management system helps healthcare settings, especially hospitals, manage patient positioning. Bed management systems may consist of just whiteboards and telephones, or more modern systems may consist of sophisticated computer software. Different management systems employ various methods to optimize bedside management. Patient beds don’t just refer to the physical beds that patients stay in during treatment, but other resources needed to care for patients.
Healthcare facilities that provide inpatient care, such as hospitals, use bed management systems. A bed management system allows operators in a facility to track any empty beds left in various sections of the facility, such as the surgical ward or intensive care unit. When patients need to be transported to other parts of the facility, or to be transported to a separate facility, a bed management system helps determine where the patient should be positioned.
The different bed management systems are composed of different elements. The older, less sophisticated systems consisted of whiteboards in each patient room, as well as nurse stations throughout the facility. Most modern systems consist of software installed on various computers in the healthcare facility, with those computers communicating with each other over the facility’s computer network.
Computerized bed management systems come from a variety of software companies. Prefabricated systems have their own unique characteristics, but larger healthcare facilities may pay a company to create a custom system for the healthcare facility’s unique needs. Some management systems include software for use on portable devices, such as smartphones or tablets, that allow workers to access bed information from anywhere.
Different systems use different features to manage patient flow, depending on the brand of bed management system, as well as any customizations made for a particular healthcare facility. Most computerized systems allow managers and other workers to see real-time changes in bed occupancy in various sections of the facility. Systems can also be set up to send alerts to various departments once a bed has been scheduled to be occupied, so workers in those departments can prepare the bed and room before the patient arrives.
Patient positioning in beds is not the only thing a bed management system addresses. The system also helps assign nurses to patients and warns operators in advance of any special preparations that need to be in place before the patient arrives. Some systems send real-time alerts to the appropriate departments if a room needs cleaning or if specific equipment needs to be transported into a room.
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