The healthcare industry is one of the fastest in the nation. That is in part due to the industry embracing new technology. The healthcare industry values efficiency and tends to be at the cutting edge of technologies that often make their way to a consumer level. One such technological advancement that is reshaping how hospitals keep patients safe and comfortable is electric motion. The technology benefits patients and healthcare providers alike. It gives patients more options and medical professionals easier access when it matters.
Already, electric motion is a healthcare industry standard, and the applications continue to evolve for the better — from hospital settings to in-home care. Below, learn more about how electric motion and automated technology are changing the healthcare experience for the better.
What is Electric Motion?
Modern hospitals are largely automated — and the technology behind much of the patient-level automation is electric motion. Electric motion is possible through electric actuation systems. In short, it’s a technology that makes it easier for machinery to move up and down, side to side, and pivot without requiring the user to exert any force. It is electrically powered, relatively quiet, and easily integrated into furniture and machinery.
The technology is quickly finding its way to all kinds of consumer and business sectors: from electric motion office furniture that promotes safer posture, to in-home recliners and automated beds that add comfort and functionality. As explained below, it continues to be pioneered at a healthcare level.
Electric Motion in Healthcare
Naturally, electric motion makes perfect sense in a hospital setting, where patients might have limited mobility and medical staff require a great deal of flexibility and easy access. With the push of a button, patients and staff alike can customize the healthcare experience so that everyone is better served. Here are just a few examples of electric motion applications common in hospitals and other healthcare facilities:
Patient Comfort
When a person thinks of healthcare electric motion, this is likely the first application that comes to mind. Whether a quick in-and-out visit or an extended stay, virtually every patient to set foot in a hospital setting at some point is exposed to a bed or a seat. Automation makes it far easier for patients to find the right level of comfort. For patients staying overnight, the ability to adjust a bed with the push of a button is a game-changer and can make the experience far more bearable.
Patient Safety
The implications of electric motion mean more than simply patient comfort; in healthcare, patient safety is the top priority, and electric motion technology makes it much easier to keep patients safe at every stage of the visit. Beds can be raised and lowered with no effort, for example, allowing patients with limited mobility to more safely get in and out of a bed or chair. It also gives hospital staff a better way of safely moving equipment around patients.
Staff Access
A medical staff’s ability to treat a patient is greatly increased given the right access. Electric motion is becoming a key tool when it comes to moving patients and equipment. As noted above, medical equipment used to treat patients can be moved more fluidly with the help of electric motion technology, and the patients can be more easily adjusted to give doctors and nurses better angles. Patient access improves, as well, when you consider those with limited mobility who are not always able to walk or climb, let alone hoist themselves into the most productive positions for medical treatment.
Healthcare at Home
As hospital and healthcare facilities are being revolutionized by electric motion and electric actuation technology, so are options at home. Adjustable beds, for example, were once a hospital luxury and are now becoming common household staples. In addition to the obvious comfort benefits of automated furniture, healthcare professionals are seeing huge benefits for at-home treatment. Sleep apnea, for example, can be more easily treated with at-home electric motion furniture. Patients with limited mobility can safely get into and out of bed without the supervision of medical staff.
Over time, expect further advances in electric motion technology to make healthcare smarter and more efficient – both in hospital settings and at home.
About the Author
Jon Mueller is a Business Developer for TiMotion, an industry-leading provider of electric linear actuators. TiMotion provides services in care motion, comfort motion, electric motion and auto motion. TiMotion provides customizable components including columns, motors, power supplies and controls.