COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — New high-tech beds are being introduced throughout Prisma health’s hospital system hat will benefit both the patients and the staff. Lisa James, Associate Chief Nursing Officer for Prisma’s Parkridge location,  says the new “Hercules Patient Repositioning Technology” allows a single nurse to reposition a patient safely — in less than ten seconds. “By the push of a button one nurse can move a patient up in a bed. Like if a patient gets down to the end of the bed, one nurse can go in and just push a button and it will slide that patient up to the top of the bed,” James says. And the benefits of the $41 million investment are numerous. Previously moving someone could take two to four nurses depending on the patient’s medical circumstances or size. With many hospital goers needing to be turned every one to two hours for good blood circulation, James says the 1,500 new beds will save time, and the new mattresses will prevent friction on a patient’s skin. They’ll also be used throughout Prisma’s ICU, labor and delivery, surgical, and bariatric units. And if need be, a person can be placed in a near standing position, allowing for easier transfer to a wheelchair. “It allows very easy transportation of the patients in the bed as far as moving the patient and mobility, and there’s what they call a 5th wheel. So me being one caregiver, one nurse, can push that bed around. You’d think I’m steering in a brand new car, and it doesn’t take all that pushing and pulling again of having that team member injury prevention at the forefront of us trying to prevent that,” says James. A light system on the bottom of the bed will notify nurses walking by a room if the patient’s bed alarm is set and if their side rails are raised — helping to prevent someone from trying to get out of bed and falling. “It saves time for the nurses who have to go in the room. All she has to do is push a button. Reposition that patient, maybe who wants to have a pillow behind their back or under their legs, and they can move on to the next patient. Whereas before, they would have to stop, call out, ask somebody to come help me, help turn this patient. Those kinds of things. So we prevent pressure injuries, we prevent team member injuries with their backs and we can prevent falls with these new beds,” James says. Prisma Health reports that many of the beds are already installed and James says training time for each nurse only takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Categories: Local News, News Tags: hospital beds, Lisa James, nurses, Prisma Health