Hospital ICUs are in need of specialists and functional equipment to support them

ICU equipment – functionality to increase treatment efficiency

Modern intensive care beds enable performing procedures faster and more precisely, and monitoring patients’ conditions. With extensive control systems, staff can operate them in smaller teams, which is important given the shortages of medical staff.

– Almost half of all occupational injuries among nurses in the U.S. are caused by lifting, overexertion and forced posture while working. This problem, unfortunately, is a common thing and overloading leads to serious consequences, the causes of which must be counteracted  – says Michał Grossy, medical market expert and director of product development at Famed Żywiec.

Famed NOBILIS is a bed designed specifically for intensive care units.

The latest bed from Famed Żywiec, designed for ICUs and presented by the company in Dubai, may help solve the problem. Famed Nobilis is a column bed, with side tilting, which facilitates patient care and eliminates nuisance factors for staff.

– Positioning and turning a person weighing several tens of kilograms is not easy, but with electric control and side tilting, our bed can effectively support staff in these activities. Regular repositioning of the patient prevents pressure ulcers and other complications. Our alternating-pressure mattress, which attracted the attention of Arab Health visitors, is also helpful in this context – Grossy adds.

Intensive care beds that support medical staff

Easily disinfectable components made with bacteriostatic pSilver™ technology or easily removable tops with a special cutout for easy access to the patient’s head and chest are a great convenience for staff. The Nobilis bed features a system that automatically signals when the backrest angle reaches 30°, thus supporting mechanical ventilation, improving gas exchange and reducing the risk of VAP and aspiration of gastric contents, which is crucial in patients with probes or swallowing disorders. A certified patient weighing system featuring an accuracy of 100 grams enables precise monitoring of patient weight changes, which is crucial for drug dosing and fluid balance assessment.

Positioning therapy

An important component of hospital beds of  ICUs are systems that enable positioning therapy, which significantly improves treatment conditions for critically ill patients. Furthermore, their design makes it possible to conduct imaging without moving the patient, reducing the risk of additional health complications.

– Implementing all these functionalities is increasingly becoming a necessity. In fact the staff has to deal with the most difficult situation, no matter what. Handling the equipment used in specialist wards, including ICU beds, is engaging and the staffing situation in hospitals in this context presents additional challenges  – comments Michał Grossy.

Shortages od medical staff – an increasingly serious challenge

According to the Central Register of Nurses and Midwives, some 315 000 nurses and 41 000 midwives are regstered in Poland (January 2023). But only about 74% of nurses and 70% of midwives actually worked in their profession. At the same time, more than 1/3 of them reached retirement age or have been retired for many years. According to forecasts, by 2030 as many as 65% of currently employed nurses and 60% of midwives will become eligible for retirement. As a result, staff attrition will total to more than 26 000 between 2023 and 2030, the president of the Supreme Council of Nurses and Midwives warned.

– The shortage of medical staff is becoming a problem not only in Poland, so solutions are being implemented to handle beds in smaller teams and minimise the physical burden on staff. While equipment can never replace a specialist, it can make their job considerably easier. Unfortunately, the percentage of electric hospital beds that offer the widest functionality is still insufficient – says Michał Grossy.

They take advantage of a wealth of experience

Last year, Famed Żywiec was the second most frequently selected supplier in public contracts for hospital beds. Among other things, the medical equipment manufacturer has delivered several hundred specialist beds designed strictly for ICUs.

– We draw on our experience with Famed Nexo. The trend we can observe is the desire to purchase equipment that offers broad functionality, high quality, and also is not a burden to budgets. It was in this spirit that we designed Nexo, the popularity of which has persisted for years, and which was shipped to dozens of countries during the pandemic. Nobilis also stands a chance for similar success  – concludes Michał Grossy, director of product development at Famed Żywiec.

Sources:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational injuries and illnesses among registered nurses, Monthly Labor Review, 2018, https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2018/article/occupational-injuries-and-illnesses-among-registered-nurses.htm, [dostęp: 10.03.2025]
• Dane GUS „Zdrowie i ochrona zdrowia w 2023 roku”
• Dane Naczelnej Rady Pielęgniarek i Położnych za: W Polsce zabraknie pielęgniarek i położnych. Alarmujące dane samorządu zawodowego – GazetaPrawna.pl