Hospital Beds
What Are Hospital Bed Position Names?
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SonderCare Learning Center
SonderCare Learning Center
What Are Hospital Bed Position Names? Positioning a patient in a bed is common practice in healthcare facilities, and in-home luxury hospital beds retain these features. Depending on their condition, preference, or treatment related to an illness, users can adjust their bed in many ways to find the most comfortable position for their unique needs. Certain bed positions even have titles because of their medical usage. What are the names of these hospital bed positions, and how can SonderCare customers use these positions?
If you are learning about hospital bed positions to improve health outcomes, please talk to your healthcare practitioner to see what they recommend.
The Trendelenburg Position is one of the position options on SonderCare beds, one that not all hospital beds have. It sees the patient lying flat on their back, with their feet 15 to 30 degrees higher than the head. The Trendelenburg Position is believed to use gravity to pull intra-abdominal organs (the stomach, spleen, liver, etc.) away from the pelvis. It might help give doctors, nurses or caregivers better access to the pelvic and abdomen areas.
There’s also a position called the Reverse Trendelenburg Position. It elevates the head and chest at 30° than the abdomen and legs. Some health professionals believe that alternating between Reverse Trendelenburg and Trendelenburg positions can help improve blood pressure and low cardiac output.
The Semi-Recumbent Position is similar to the Reverse Trendelenburg – it elevates the head of the bed to a greater degree, typically up to 45 degrees. The effects of the Semi-Recumbent Position can be positive for patients with certain critical illnesses, and more doctors are using it to prevent the occurrence of ventilator-associated pneumonia.
Also called the sitting position, Fowler’s Position is often used in hospitals for procedures like neurosurgery and shoulder surgeries. However, it might be used for in-home care, too. Fowler’s Position is an upright patient position with the backrest set at an angle between 15 and 90 degrees. (Below 30 degrees is often referred to as the Semi-Fowler Position; studies show it might increase intra-abdominal pressure).
Fowler’s Position lets patients rest their legs either straight out or with their knees slightly bent. Because the patient’s chest is better able to expand and oxygenate, it is a position favored by doctors for handling respiratory distress. It’s also ideal when the doctor has to put in gastric and oral feeding tubes.
Fowler’s Position is great for specific types of nursing care, including taking X-rays, performing drainage after abdominal surgery or giving birth, washing and grooming, or sitting up while talking with guests or watching television.
SonderCare hospital beds have hi-lo elevation to help the patient in bed and their caregiver. The height of the mattress from the floor can go as low as 16” (to help patients get out of bed) up to 39” (to help those providing in-home care). The hi-lo functionality can reduce the risk of patient injury from falling out of the bed while giving professional healthcare workers or caregivers better, more ergonomic access to their patients without bending over them.
Customers will also find it easy to adjust their SonderCare bed to help them get into a more comfortable position. With individual Backrest, Knee, Height Range, Chair, and Tilt operations, the patient in bed can achieve virtually infinite positions. There’s even the Auto-Contour Function for adjusting the Backrest and Knee simultaneously, getting the user in the most comfortable position for reading, watching television, and relaxing. Raising the backrest and knee at the same time keeps the patient from sliding down the mattress, which is typical if only the backrest is raised.
Hospital bed positions are for more than improving comfort (though that’s a necessary part of using an in-home care bed, too). Proper patient positioning can maintain the patient’s airway and circulation during a medical process, many of which are now taking place in the home. It may also help healthcare professionals as they work to prevent nerve damage, administer anesthetics, and access parts of the body for care. Being able to reposition is essential for reducing the likelihood of dealing with pressure ulcers and improving overall comfort.
People who spend an extended period in bed each day will face challenges to their health, recovery goals, and overall well-being. They might also have mobility challenges that make it tricky to get into and out of a conventional bed. No matter what position the user needs for their well-being, SonderCare luxury home hospital beds give customers all the options they need – and in many cases, more options than they might find even in a hospital.
| Hospital Bed Position Name | Bed Position Description | Related Concepts |
|---|---|---|
| Fowler's Position | The Fowler's position is a bed position where the head of the bed is elevated to a degree between 30 and 45, which is mainly used to enhance breathing and lung function. | Breathing, Lung function, Elevation |
| High Fowler's Position | High Fowler's position is a bed position in which the head of the bed is elevated at an angle greater than 90 degrees. This position is commonly used for critically ill patients or for patients recovering from surgery, in order to improve breathing and prevent complications. | Breathing, Complications, Surgery, Critical care |
| Supine Position | The Supine position is a bed position where the patient lies on their back with their head and feet elevated, it's commonly used in procedures such as X-rays and examinations. | X-rays, Examinations, Lying on back |
| Jackknife Position | The Jackknife position is a bed position where the patient is seated upright with the bed's backrest elevated, it's commonly used for patients with breathing difficulties or for those who have had abdominal or thoracic surgery. | Breathing, Abdominal surgery, Thoracic surgery |
| Kidney Position | The Kidney position is a bed position where the patient is lying on their back with their legs elevated and bent at the knees, it's typically used for kidney and bladder procedures. | Kidney, Bladder, Procedures |
| Prone Position | The Prone position is a bed position where the patient is lying on their stomach, it's commonly used for spinal and back procedures. | Spinal, Back, Procedures |
| Lithotomy Position | The Lithotomy position is a bed position where the patient is lying on their back with their legs elevated and bent at the hips, it's typically used for gynecological and urological procedures. | Gynecological, Urological, Procedures |
| Sim's Position | The Sim's position is a bed position where the patient is lying on their left side with their legs bent at the hips and knees, it's typically used for rectal and colon procedures. | Rectal, Colon, Procedures |
| Lateral Position | The Lateral position is a bed position where the patient is lying on their side with their legs straight, it's commonly used for patients with spinal cord injuries, pressure ulcers, or respiratory issues. | Spinal cord injuries, Pressure ulcers, Respiratory issues |
| Trendelenburg Position | The Trendelenburg position is a bed position where the head of the bed is elevated while the foot is lowered to reduce venous pressure, it's commonly used for patients with shock or cardiac conditions. | Venous pressure, Shock, Cardiac conditions |
| Reverse Trendelenburg Position | The Reverse Trendelenburg position is a bed position where the head of the bed is lowered while the foot is elevated to increase venous return, it's commonly used for patients with respiratory or cardiac conditions. | Venous return, Respiratory issues, Cardiac conditions |
Among the different positions that may be used in hospital beds are the following: Fowler’s position, High Fowler’s position, Trendelenburg and inverse Trendelenburg positions, Supine position, Jackknife position, Kidney position, Prone position, and Auto-Contour position.
High Fowler’s position is a critical aspect of patient care, especially for those recovering from respiratory or abdominal surgeries. Elevating the head of the bed to an angle greater than 90 degrees can help improve breathing and prevent complications like pneumonia and atelectasis. Additionally, it’s important to note that the patient’s legs may be straight or bent in this position, and it’s commonly used during eating, swallowing, and X-Ray procedures.
A person’s five basic body positions lay the foundation for more complex body positions. The prone position refers to lying down face down, the supine position refers to lying face up, the left lateral position, which refers to lying on the left side, the right lateral position, which refers to lying on the right side, and the sitting position, which includes standing up with your trunk upright. Various medical and therapeutic interventions are initiated from these positions.
find out more about hospital bed treatment positions, read about hospital beds and their positions, hospital bed positions and functions
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