5 Pieces of Hospital Furniture to Improve Patient Care

Quality healthcare furniture is a basic requirement for patient quality of life and employee performance. From hospital chairs through to tables, discover the essential healthcare furniture your department should be investing in.

Healthcare furniture plays a vital role in patient care. In fact, quality hospital furniture is a fundamental healthcare necessity for both patients and staff.

Taken from ‘Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses’, evidence proves the link between the quality of the environment, including hospital furniture, with patient and employee health and performance outcomes.

“The design of a facility/structure with its fixed and moveable components can have a significant impact on human performance, especially on the health and safety of employees, patients, and families.”

With the health of patients, families, and employees at stake, the importance of providing quality hospital furniture has never been more pressing.

General Standards and Safety Requirements for Specialist Hospital Furniture

The separate types of specialist hospital furniture we will be discussing in this piece include:

• Hospital Chairs
• Hospital Couches
• Hospital Trolleys
• Hospital Plinths
• Hospital Tables

Each item of furniture is designed specifically for providing specialist care and should meet certain healthcare compliance standards. These compliant standards must be initiated by infection control practitioners operating on-premises.

Common medical issues for hospitals or healthcare facilities to accommodate and counteract with specialist furniture require the following features:

• Cleaning surfaces
• Wood and Vinyl surfaces
• Bariatric furniture
• Pressure relief
• Seat height
• Depth adjustment
• Decontamination capabilities

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are infections occurring on patients after contact with a hospital or healthcare facility. A common cause for HAIs is hospital furniture not being cleaned or serviced properly.

In England, an estimated 3.5% of patients who get an HAI die even though HAIs are preventable. With this in mind, it’s never been so important to invest in the right hospital furniture.

5 Pieces of Integral Hospital Furniture 

1. Hospital Chairs
Hospital chairs are an extremely important healthcare necessity, especially when supporting a patient’s secondary care. The right hospital chair has the capability of providing comfort and aiding recovery times. Hospital chairs can also offer the patient a feeling of safety after a traumatic experience. Common examples of injuries for hospital chairs to accommodate include:

• Pressure Ulcers
• Falls
• Infections

The number one priority for a hospital chair is comfort. Comforting the patient prevails over any other clinical benefit. The chair must also provide and support:

• Pelvic stability
• Trunk alignment
• Head control
• Equal weight distribution
• Foot placement for safe transfers
• Highly adjustable

Wolverson X-Ray offers a specialist range of hospital chairs for a variety of procedures and examinations. The Sonesta S3 is the most versatile hospital chair on the market, ensuring complete comfort and maximum functionality.

2. Hospital Couch (Bed)
To avoid any confusion, a hospital couch can be considered a bed. This is due to the simple functionality of a healthcare couch allowing a patient to lie down for extended periods. We can apply these same principles to hospital trolleys, tables and plinths. The hospital couch is the most versatile piece of hospital furniture, functioning as a supportive couch during medical examinations or as a comfortable bed for extended rest periods. Features of a hospital couch include:

• Washable reclined or flat surface
• Stain-resistant and waterproof bed cover
• Legs fitted with wheels
• Various adjustable and reclining features
• Step stools

Wolverson X-Ray stock a variety of specialist hospital couches, including Bariatric, Daycare, and Ultrasound couches. Our Daycare Couch is designed especially for patients spending significant periods in and out of examinations. With soft pressure relieving upholstery, this is the ideal day-to-day solution.

3. Hospital Trolley
A hospital trolley is highly versatile. What defines a hospital trolley is its essential purpose for patient transportation. All types of hospital trolleys have special features to support the comfort and well-being of patients. As a specialist piece of hospital furniture designed for patients in the most critical conditions, they must fundamentally perform the highest levels of comfort and support.

Research Gate reports how hospital beds and healthcare bedding standards can contribute to high levels of HAIs and subject patients to varying degrees of discomfort. Hospital couch features include:

• Height range
• Bed width
• Electronic adjustment features
• Adjustable rails

We highly recommend investing in the rugged and flexible Patient Trolley. It’s designed specifically for transportation, comfort and safety support and is available in hydraulic and electronic capacities.

4. Hospital Plinths
The purpose of a hospital plinth is to provide secure support to patients while medical exercises or physical therapy treatments can be performed. There are various forms of medical plinths available on the market that support various types of examinations. Certain procedures can be significantly improved with the aid of a specialist plinth, such as gynaecology.

Wolverson X-Ray supplies a dynamic range of hospital plinths, including two-section, three-section and even five-section plinths. We recommend the Multipurpose Plinth, designed to accommodate modern practices and suitable for numerous procedures.

5. Hospital Tables
Hospital tables, otherwise known as “over-bed tables”, are designed for patients who will be bed bound for long periods. This solution requires hospital tables to be the most comfortable and supportive of all hospital furniture. Similar to the hospital trolley or couch, the features of a hospital table include:

• Adjustable features for head and feet
• Chest straps to eliminate patient falls
• Footboards
• Side handles and rails

Wolverson X-Ray provides the Sonesta SST, a vertical imaging table. This product enables you to take safe, supportive and comfortable vertical examinations on the patient. These practices can include vital procedures such as neurosurgery, spine trauma and pelvic/lower extremity injuries.

Speak to the Specialist Hospital Furniture Providers

Wolverson X-Ray has been providing the highest quality health furniture to hospitals and various sectors of the medical industry for over a century. Our industry knowledge and expertise aid us in upholding the highest medical standards and maintaining healthy relationships with multiple healthcare providers.

If you’re interested in acquiring the highest quality healthcare furniture, we’re here to help. Please get in touch and speak to one of our friendly team members.

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