New connectable hospital bed launched to improve patient safety and support everyday nursing tasks

Hill-Rom has launched the new HR900 Accella bed and therapy mattress to help drive patient safety and improve patient outcomes, as well as support stretched NHS nurses by simplifying day-to-day tasks, including the weighing and early mobilisation of patients.

The innovative product brings together “cutting-edge” technology with design to enhance caregiver workflow, improving safety and allowing them to spend more time on face-to-face patient care.

Designed with caregiver efficiency in mind, the HR900 Accella is equipped with several features to simplify nursing tasks including:

• Integrated technology – In bed Scale (Simple Weigh) allowing caregivers to weigh and calculate patients’ BMI accurately via a series of easy to follow prompts. It also gives caregivers the capability to complete patient X-Rays in bed with the new X-Ray accessory.
• Three-mode bed exit alarm which alerts the caregiver to potential bed exit events, the settings can be adjusted to the appropriate mode for care setting and patient.
• A one-touch side egress system allowing caregivers to level the bed horizontally and to an ideal height, as well as re-positioning the backrest to achieve the optimal ergonomic conditions for patient egress.
• High Pressure Laminate (HPL) sleep-deck sections are easily removable for effective cleaning. Smooth surfaces and removable panels allow for convenient chemical or steam-cleaning and decontamination.

Hospitals have reported as many as 2.8 patient falls per 1,000 bed days in general wards and up to 6.1 patient falls per 1,000 bed days in specialist units.

Putting patient safety at the forefront of design, says Hill-Rom, helps to prevent falls and the associated unnecessary complications from injuries and patient distress from loss of confidence or isolation as a result of the fall.

The HR900 Accella’s three-mode bed exit alarm can remain localised to the bed or sent via a WIFI signal to the nursing station or hand-held device, notifying caregivers immediately when a patient that has been identified as a falls risk is attempting to leave the bed.

The intelligent night light increases safety when patients egress by promoting visibility, helping patients to gauge the distance from bed to ground. The night light will also change from amber to green when left in the safe low position for patients that are at risk of falling, reducing patient disturbance during times of rest.

As Hill-Rom’s new bed and therapy mattress eliminates the need for strenuous patient transfer when x-raying and weighing patients saves caregivers time, this prevents worries of physical overload and ensures equipment is always available to staff.

In addition, Hill-Rom says the HR900 Accella helps to support the early and consistent mobilisation of patients which has been shown to significantly enhance outcomes.

The HR900 Accella can also be articulated simply into many positions to support in bed, up from bed or out of bed mobility. Features include: Adjustable Head-of-bed (HOB) & HOB alarm to maintain the optimal angle for breathing and help reduce to respiratory complications; 17ȯ reverse Trendelenberg providing orthostatic conditioning; easy chair position to improve gas exchange; and one-touch side egress to build patient strength.

The latest advancement in the Hill-Rom family also includes a newly launched plug-in mattress which converts the HR900 Accella into the HR900 Accella Therapy. This mattress offers the user innovative new features which help to both prevent and treat pressure ulcers.

The HR900 Accella Therapy comes equipped with real-time pressure adjustment, controlled by the ‘internal I-mmersion pressure sensor’ which adjusts to each patient’s needs, according to their size, shape and position in the bed, without the need for caregivers to intervene.

Hill-Rom’s ‘SlideGuard technology’ can also reduce patient migration by up to 50 percent, not only minimising the need for repositioning by healthcare professionals, but also reducing shear and friction that can influence skin breakdown as well as improving abdominal compression helping to improve patient safety.

James Rhodes, Marketing Manager for Early Mobilisation and Falls Prevention at Hill-Rom, commented: “The introduction of the Hill-Rom HR900 Accella and Accella Therapy demonstrates how integrated technology can benefit both patients and caregivers, allowing beds to become the central care station for patients during their stay in hospital. These valuable additions to the HR900 range can help protect patients, speed up recoveries and assist us in managing increasingly complex conditions.

“Hospitals face consistent challenges to improve patient safety, protect from infections, and other complications during their stay. We are excited to be able to introduce cutting-edge technology which will help to address some of these issues, as well support nursing staff by simplifying their day to day tasks.”