title: Hospital bed mattresses: an overview of technical aspects.
abstract: Mattresses designed for clinical applications are deceptively simple pieces of equipment. Their primary function is to comfortably support the patient in an appropriate position. However, there are many other technical factors that affect the quality of the support surfaces. In this paper we discuss the basic functions that mattresses should fulfil, explain some of the underlying mechanics and discuss CE marking and other standards.
authors.affiliation: School of Health Professions, University of Salford, UK. S.Rithalia@salford.ac.uk
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rithalia
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kenney
mesh_terms: D001513:Beds / Q000592:standards; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena