A patent has been granted for a smart hospital bed that offers a number of automated features, including massage and self-cleaning systems. If brought to market, this bed could help alleviate the burden on healthcare systems and improve patient care.
Technological innovations are constantly improving healthcare in the United States and around the world. Now, a patent has been granted for a new invention that could help ease the burden on overworked healthcare workers in hospital settings and improve patient care in the future.
The patent, filed by Jiangsu Jinsu Medical Technology Co., Ltd. in 2019 and granted in 2024, is for a “smart hospital bed” that offers many automated services that are typically performed by a human caregiver.
This includes an integrated massage system, a cooling and drying system, automatic mattress replacement, an integrated bathing system, and wastewater management.
“There is an extreme shortage of nurses, caregivers at patients’ bedsides, and the nurse-to-patient ratio keeps getting higher in hospital systems around the world,” says Archita Sivakumar Fritz, a professional in the MedTech and Life Sciences industry whose expertise extends from research and development to quality systems management and marketing.
Fritz worked for 16 years at Stryker, a company that makes intelligent hospital beds. She says a bed like the one described in the patent grant could really help ease the burden on healthcare systems and provide much-needed care to patients in their time of need.
How it compares to intelligent hospital beds on the market
Several intelligent beds are currently available on the market from companies including Hill-Rom, Stryker, Linet, and Paramount. These hospital beds allow the caregiver to set certain features, such as patient fall risk, bed location services, autonomous mattress turning to reduce the potential for bed-related pressure ulcers, an in-bed weighing function, and more.
Fritz says these beds are not new, with many having been on the market for almost two decades. They were initially only used in ICU and critical care spaces but were eventually more widely adopted in medical-surgical units.
“Based on the patent information provided, this ‘Intelligent Hospital Bed’ by Jiangsu Jinsu Medical Technology Co., Ltd. offers several innovative features that differentiate it from typical acute care and ICU beds produced by companies like Stryker, Hill-Rom, and Linet,” Fritz tells Healthnews.
The first feature that sets this bed apart from others on the market is the automated massage mechanism, which uses adjustable components and rollers to move bed boards up and down.
This feature aims to prevent muscle atrophy and improve circulation for long-term patients, which Fritz says is not commonly found in standard ICU beds
“Usually, you see this in the mattress that goes on the bed which provides patient turning capabilities,” she says. “The fact that it is physically in the structure of the bed is interesting.”
Next is the cooling and drying system, which aims to keep the patient at a comfortable temperature. To do this, the bed incorporates ventilation holes with fans to cool and dry the patient's skin, as well as heating elements.
This system is designed to prevent bedsores and reduce sweating, addressing a common issue in long-term care that standard hospital beds don't directly tackle.
Fritz
While most mattress manufacturers in the acute care and ICU bed category do have a function to help prevent bedsores, Fritz says most do not have a heating element, which may be beneficial for certain types of patients and conditions.
A particularly unique feature of this bed is its automatic mattress replacement mechanism. Using a series of rollers and gears, the bed features a system that can change its mattress automatically. Typically, changing mattresses requires a significant amount of manual labor and is a major cause of caregiver injuries, Fritz says, so this could help alleviate that issue.
The bed also includes a water spray mechanism with multiple nozzles, allowing patients to be bathed in place. Fritz says some advanced ICU beds do offer basic cleaning features, but a full bathing system is not typically found in hospital beds.
“This is another big benefit and differentiation of the bed,” she says. “Being able to not transfer a patient, especially those that are critical, is a big benefit to help eliminate potential patient falls, manual handling injuries, and hospital acquired infections.”
The bed also incorporates a wastewater management system. The system collects and separates liquid and solid waste to improve hygiene, which Fritz says would provide a significant benefit.
What it could mean for the healthcare system
This smart bed could benefit caregivers and patients alike, including reduced manual labor, improved patient comfort, enhanced hygiene, and more comprehensive care.
The bed automates several functions that are typically manual in most hospital settings, potentially reducing caregiver workload and improving efficiency. By combining multiple functions into one bed, it offers a more holistic approach to patient care than typical ICU beds.
Fritz
If it were to become available on the market in the future, this bed could potentially address a number of issues and improve care in hospitals.
However, the granted patent lacks several explanations for how these systems actually function. Fritz says it’s difficult to assess how the automatic mattress replacement function works based on the information in the application.
For the integrated bathing system, she notes that the patent grant does not mention some very basic testing requirements needed for such a bed, such as an IPX6 cleaning rating. The same is true for the wastewater management system, with regulatory and quality requirements associated with a bed like this missing.
“It's important to note that while these features are innovative, the bed's practical implementation, durability, ease of use, and compatibility with existing hospital systems would need to be evaluated,” Fritz says. “Additionally, the cost, quality, testing and maintenance requirements of such a complex system could be potential drawbacks.”
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