Integral solution offers optimum safety and comfort

Intelligent and connected care beds care beds

The integration of technology in care beds offers added value for patients, care staff and facility services. Haelvoet, Belgian manufacturer of healthcare furniture, developed an extension with Haelvoet Connect Solutions that can transform Hospital & Care beds into intelligent and connected healthcare beds. 

When Haelvoet started developing a smart bed, it did not intend to create a complex healthcare bed with built-in displays and all kinds of controls. Haelvoet developed an integrated solution that is easy to use and can add value for patient, care and facility. The bed, equipped with sensors in siderails and under the lying surface, is wirelessly connected to the already existing alarm server and call system. Intelligence and connectivity thus open the way to new applications and solutions, hence the name: Haelvoet Connect Solutions.

All electric beds produced at Haelvoet today can be equipped with Haelvoet Connect Solutions upon delivery or afterwards. It is important to know that a connected bed also functions perfectly independently without connection, in order to guarantee a high operational reliability in a care environment. Besides communication via Wifi, a Bluetooth network (optional) can enable the localization of the beds within the institution.

For patients, a connected bed means greater self-reliance because they can control a number of things themselves - possibly coupled with home automation. For care staff, a connected bed means greater efficiency and the ability to focus on care. Communication can be made a lot more efficient for facility. Service can locate a bed and also record the use of motors to enable predictive maintenance. 

Haelvoet Connect Solutions can provide an integrated solution in the following situations, among others:

Sensors in the lying surface of the bed register, based on precise weight differences, whether the patient is in the bed or not. Depending on adjustable parameters, an alarm can be generated automatically when the patient leaves the bed. For example, when a less mobile patient has left the bed during the night and has not returned to bed after 10 minutes.

By comparing the position of the siderails, the brake status and the height of the lying surface with the desired bed position, it can be determined whether the bed is in a safe position or not. By connecting the bed to an alarm server, the safe bed position can be verified with parameters such as type of patient, time of day, presence of care professionals, ...
The visual display of this information and settings on a nursing dashboard allow one to check the status of the bed at a glance.

For emergency situations, the Haelvoet care beds feature a mechanical CPR lever and electronic CPR button. These immediately bring the lying surface into the correct CPR position. Thanks to Haelvoet Connect Solutions, various alarm signals are triggered so that the nearest rescuers can be led to the patient as quickly and efficiently as possible. 

A nurse call is possible from the hospital bed via a clearly visible button in the control panel of the DuoSafe siderails. Via a wireless connection, the nurse call from the bed is linked to the existing nurse call system and different signals can be triggered (call on dect or cell phone, light signals, nurse dashboard, ...). 

In addition to the above four functions, which can be used to ensure patient safety and comfort, Haelvoet Connect Solutions also offers an integrated solution for various service issues such as bed location, technical problem detection, predictive maintenance, ... Haelvoet Connect Solutions is also very evolutionary, as further development of the software can expand the applications. For example, work is continuing on moisture detection and an algorithm to optimize pressure ulcer prevention.

For a demonstration of Haelvoet Connect Solutions, please visit - by appointment - Haelvoet's showroom in Ingelmunster. 

Haelvoet Connect Solutions

The advantages and functionalities of Haelvoet Connect Solutions are not only intended for hospital environments, but certainly also find a perfect application in residential care environments. For example, the nursing staff can monitor the height of the lying surface or the position of siderails.