Research Problem
Wiggermann, Smith, & Kumpar, (2017) compile a nursing research study in which they examine the size of bed a patient needs and the connection found between the bed size and the body mass index. At the onset, it seems like a trivial matter, but it is a primary essential component for the concern of every healthcare institution that seeks to improve the stay of patients in their facilities.
Limited spaces in hospital beddings increase difficulty in mobilizing patients, and this can intensify the danger of injury of the muscles to the caregivers. Moreover, it can increase the risk of injuries due to pressure to the patients and thus reduce patient comfort. The study comes in the wake of a lack of research on hospital bed sizes and their effects on the health and wellbeing of both the nurses and the patients. This study is, therefore aimed at establishing the volume of space patients admitted to hospitals should be allocated based on their body mass index.
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Review of the Literature
Wiggermann et al. (2017) use a total of 14 reference materials drawn from books, periodicals, peer-reviewed journals, and reports to create the study. The study material ranged from as early as 1989 to as late as 2013, when the latest research article was derived. The study notes that limited research has been compiled in the past, addressing the issue of selection of bed size to suit the patient's body mass index. Moreover, it notes that none of the existent literature is supported by empirical evidence that examines the requirements for patient space. Overall, the threshold for determining the bed size for a particular person remains unclear and barbaric and often border with estimation physical estimation of the patient’s appearance.
The impact of the healing environment has proven to be significant for patients and their families in recent years, and this study contributes to the role this environment plays in enhancing the healing process. The study posits that caregivers are likely to experience opposition from patients positioned uncomfortably on beds that are lower than their overall BMI. The review uses older sources because of the lack of reference material from the area of hospital bed specifications.
Patients whose beds cannot support their body mass indices have relative discomfort when turning in their beds, and this has adverse effects on their sleep and hence the need for greater surface area to accommodate them. The study notes that many of the patients who have undergone complex medical procedures like the spine and abdominal surgery have difficulty operating on smaller beds and this can further damage their internal organs and may at times lead to more infections and complications throughout their admission.
Besides compromising the satisfaction and the comfort of the patient in the hospital, insufficient bed sizes may have a negative bearing on the patient outcomes. Limitation of space forces caregivers to assist patients in doing everything, including changes in dressing, changes in linen, cleaning of bathing, repositioning to relieve the pressure injuries and inspection of wounds. These alterations can lead to fresh wounds or can alter the healing process of the older one's wounds.
The study further establishes that beds that are too narrow could make patients fall roll over and fall, and this would be injurious to their process of recovery (Wiggermann et al., 2017). While narrow beds are detrimental to the patient, unnecessarily full beds are also dangerous for the caregiver as they are forced to stretch out and reach in for the patient every time and this may cause them spinal injury over time.
Theoretical Framework
The fundamental structure of this research is established on Henderson's nursing needs a theory that stresses the need to allow the patient to be as independent as possible so that he or she may not be overly dependent on secondary assistance to survive during and after hospital care. According to Roldán-Merino et al., (2019), it is assumed that nurses are supposed to care for patients until their fill recovery and that they devote their time to the patients every day and night. The theory essentially posits that the nurse's only role is to assist the patient to get back to his or her feet and begin living his or her life as an independent person.
Additionally, in tackling the matter of positioning of the nurse's in-hospital care, the research mentions the theory of Self Care Deficit. Roldán-Merino et al., (2019) posits that this theory stresses on the need for patients to be self-reliant, as well as accountable for their maintenance and that nursing is a form of interaction between more than two people. Moreover, it postulates that dependent support and self-care are learned attitudes with the context of socio-culture in mind and therefore, patients can learn to care for their needs as opposed to being overly dependent on the nurses.
The research aimed to define the volume of bed area people required when rotating from their back to the side or vice versa. The overall assumption was that hospitals provide inadequate space for patients to use when turning around their beds. The research followed an experiment performed in a laboratory environment allowing for the careful selection of subjects for the study.
Variables
The research question in this study was aimed at determining the amount of space required by individuals when turning from their spine to the side. This was aimed at guiding the appropriate size of the bed that would be necessary as predicted by the dimensions of their bodies. The dependent variable is the variation in the size of the bed, whereas the dependent variable is the patient body dimensions which ultimately dictate the size of the bed to be used. Whereas the body size and the bed size can be measured, the required quantity of the bed is only predicted by the size of the body and cannot correctly be measured.
Methodology
The study employs the use of a quantitative research design that examines the BMI of 47 adult participants, with 24 of them being female and the rest being male. The females have a BMI of 76 kgs for 20 in every square meter. The study uses deductive reasoning to determine the quantity of space compulsory for turning over on bed by motion linear regression. The review uses a probability sample that defined the accuracy of the BMI to the area assigned.
The independent variable was tested by examining the amount of space the subjects with higher BMI occupied compared to those with lower BMI. The quantitative method applied was reliable since the BMI correlated with the required turning space. The approval of the morals board was acquired before carrying out the research, and all the subjects for the analysis were necessitated to deliver well-versed accord before taking part in the research study.
Data Analysis
The study employed the use of general linear regression models in the estimation of the connection among each primary reliant inconstant. The same method was also used to establish the relationship between each anthropometric variable. The study employed the use of analysis variance in testing the effects of the type of exterior on lateral migration, 1TD, as well as 2TD variables. The surface was treated as an immovable effect, whereas the subject was treated as an arbitrary effect. The entire process of analysis was performed using Minitab software.
Summary
The primary strength of this research lies in the overall finds and confirmation of the hypothesis that it makes at the culmination of the study. The results from the research propose vivid insinuations for picking the size of beds in the hospital that match the patient BMI index and contribute to the wellbeing of the patients during their stay in the hospitals. As the researchers note, this study is unique and only research aimed at investigating the bed area and turning around. One limitation of this study is that some will require more surface area to turn compared to the space that may be predicted by the linear regression model. Additionally, this research only considered the extra amount of space required when turning and does not predict the space needed when carrying out other physical activities like physiotherapy.
Implications and Recommendations
Besides the volume of beds for patients to correctly interchange from the back to the side and perform other functions, the other area that needs to be investigated is the standard material used for making hospital beds or mattresses. While it is true that healthcare facilities contain patients with varied complications that range from abdominal injury to spinal and head injuries, most hospitals contain standard beddings that may be an advantage to some patients yet a disadvantage to others. This is because patients who have undergone spinal cord surgery require special treatment compared to those who have suffered regular treatment. These findings can be applied to other populations to realize the same results. These findings are significant for me and the nursing profession because they examine the critical yet highly negligible component of nursing care that caters to the welfare of the patients as well as that of the nurses.
References
Roldán-Merino, J., Miguel-Ruiz, D., Roca-Capara, N., & Rodrigo-Pedrosa, O. (2019). Personal tutoring in nursing studies: A supportive relationship experience aimed at integrating, curricular theory, and professional practice. Nurse Education in Practice, 37 (1), 81-87.doi. 10.1016/j.nepr.2019.05.005
Wiggermann, N., Smith, K., & Kumpar, D. (2017). What Bed Size does a Patient Need? The Relationship between Body Mass Index and Space required to turn in Bed. Nursing Research, 66 (6), 482-489.doi. 10.1097/NNR.0000000000000242
