The right hospital mattress is critical to the recovery and comfort of your patients. Not every hospital mattress is suitable for every case. So, you must know something about your patient’s recovery time before you know what type of hospital mattress to look for. Once you have this information, you can find hospital mattresses suited to your patients' needs.

In most instances, a hospital mattress is part of a hospital bed package. You can buy replacement mattresses, and it is important to take an old mattress out of use as soon as possible. A typical hospital mattress is either foam or innerspring. However, there are a lot of newer variations on the market today used for specialized purposes. Keep the following items in mind as you find a hospital mattress provider:

1. The hospital mattress should be thick enough to be comfortable.

2. Make sure the hospital mattress has no pressure points that may cause pressure sores for long-term patients.

3. A hospital mattress must have a cover that allows air to circulate between the surface of the mattress and the patient.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find a foam hospital mattress for your hospital bedding

Foam comes in different viscosity and thickness. A simple foam hospital mattress may be an inexpensive item, but one of the fancier foam pressure-point mattresses may be more expensive.

I recommend: PHC and Associates has an extensive foam hospital mattress list. You can find a variety of foam mattresses at AMEDS.com.

Purchase an innerspring hospital mattress

Just as an innerspring mattress is more comfortable on your bed than a piece of foam, an innerspring hospital mattress is more comfortable. It also tends to cost more.

I recommend: You can find the right innerspring hospital mattress on the Name Brands Direct website, MedicalProductsDirect.com. RehabMart.com offers innerspring mattresses in three styles on its website.

Locate a hospital mattress suited to your special needs

Each department in a hospital or long-term care facility has special needs patients. Either these patients are more likely to get pressure sores and need special mattresses, or they are in a department that routinely has need for special mattresses. Whatever the case, you can find the right mattress for your patients.

I recommend: Aria Medical Equipment offers bariatric mattresses to help make overweight patients comfortable. Hill-Rom, a leading hospital mattress provider, has a mattress designed to reduce pressure sores.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Whether you need one hospital mattress or one hundred, shop around until you find the right mattress. Don't settle for anything less than the best for your patients. If possible, ask to see a crosscut section of the mattress so you can view what's inside. For example, an innerspring mattress with more coils is going to be more comfortable than one with fewer coils.