Resources

Healthcare

It’s probably no surprise that healthcare facilities require very specific furniture to keep their doctors, patients and visitors comfortable and safe. Due to the nature of hospitals and other healthcare facilities, furniture that resists the growth of bacteria and the spread of germs must be used. In addition, bariatric chairs and very specific types of exam room furniture must be offered in order to keep any and all patients as safe as possible during their stay. The things to consider when outfitting a healthcare facility with the appropriate furniture are seemingly endless, so it’s easy to become overwhelmed in the attempt to cover all the bases. Take a look at some of the services and capabilities that the furniture experts at National Business Furniture offer to make your healthcare furniture shopping experience as easy as possible.


In-House Healthcare Design and Space Planning Services

At NBF, we know that creating the right environment in a healthcare setting is critical in promoting healing, improving morale and attracting patients to your facility. Our professional in-house healthcare design staff work closely with architects, facility managers and internal staff to deliver a finished project that meets or exceeds the individual location objectives. The best part? Our in-house design services are completely free when you order your healthcare furnishings from NBF.


In-Field Healthcare Sales Representatives

In addition to our talented designers, we also have in-field healthcare sales representatives in 25 major markets, and our healthcare-focused professionals can provide on-site consultations and custom project solutions at no cost to you. Our dedicated healthcare team even provides project management services for large furniture installations at no charge.


Exclusive GPO Pricing

We offer our enormous selection, excellent value and caring customer service with group purchasing organization (GPO) pricing. GPOs save the healthcare industry billions of dollars per year, which effectively counters ever-rising medical costs. That’s why you can shop confidently at NBF, knowing that you’ll receive the very best price on your new furnishings.


Fast Shipping

Over 88% of the items we sell ship in less than five days, and many ship the same day they’re ordered. Just search for the “Ships Today” icon in our catalog or on our website to select healthcare furniture that will be delivered to you as quick as can be.


Furniture that Works

A critical component of creating a positive patient experience is providing a welcoming atmosphere for all visitors, regardless of size or disability. NBF has products to accommodate all patients safely and comfortably, including bariatric, geriatric and pediatric visitors. We even offer products for specialized healthcare environments, including orthopedic spaces, infusion centers, behavioral health facilities and high traffic emergency rooms. Because we recognize the importance of family support in the healing process, we also offer products that integrate visitors into lobbies and patient rooms comfortably. To provide an easy way to create a calming, serene atmosphere, we have an extensive offering of artwork, textiles and accessories that facilitate warm, welcoming, patient-centered healing experience. Our healthcare furniture experts work directly with each healthcare facility to create a customized solution that meets their individual aesthetic, function and budgetary needs. We work with more than 150 suppliers that carry over 6000 items to offer an unmatched breadth of products that can meet any budget without sacrificing quality, durability or safety.


People who Care

Our highly-trained specialists take a great deal of pride in helping customers find the right furniture to fit their needs, be it for a healthcare facility or otherwise. With an average of ten years of experience, our sales and customer service representatives can explain the benefits and drawbacks to any item in question. Contact the NBF furniture experts at (800) 558-1010 to find out how we can help you create the healthcare setting you and your patients need.

 

Check out what our customers are saying about our healthcare furniture experts!

 

“My experience with Jane Spotts and National Business Furniture was very professional from the start. Jane was very interested in our organization’s exact needs and preferences, down to the intricate furniture details, and won our business during our RFP process. She prepared a flexible product offerings list for our clients, all while staying within our budgetary constraints. On a day-to-day basis, Jane is very responsive to our needs as a sales representative. I can count on her to ensure that all orders are placed on time, and all physicians’ preferences are addressed. Lastly, when small issues have arisen, Jane is quick to rectify the situation!”

 

-John W Kropf, CMPE, MBA

Associate Director of Operations

AMITA Health

 

“As a new client, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Jane and the team at National Business Furniture. We successfully installed panels and furniture for our Medical Office Building lobby. Jane and the team were very efficient, as they professionally and conveniently worked around associates and visitors. The overall process was smooth from start to finish and I will definitely contact Jane and National Business Furniture for any future needs.”

 

-Dave DeRose

Director of Support Services

Centegra Hospital McHenry

More From NBF

The Complete Guide to Healthcare Seating Textiles

Whether you’re furnishing a new healthcare facility or replacing old furniture in a hospital or private practice, knowing your textiles is crucial to the well-being of staff and patients alike. To help make your purchasing experience as easy as possible, we’re breaking down the pros and cons of commonly used seating textiles. This list is ranked from worst to best in terms of appropriateness for a healthcare setting.

Fabric

Fabric is a woven textile that is not considered appropriate for healthcare settings. The major benefit of fabric is aesthetic: it comes in many color and pattern options. 

Although the appearance of fabric creates a welcoming, homey aesthetic that most medical facilities seek, the good far outweighs the bad in the case of this material. Because fabric is woven, it is porous—fluids can seep into the chair easily and become nearly impossible to remove. This creates an infection control nightmare as fabric will likely harbor bacteria and bedbugs. 

In addition to the health hazards associated with this textile, fabric is not durable enough to withstand regular use in a busy healthcare facility.

Benefits

  • Unlimited color and pattern choices

  • Welcoming, homelike aesthetic

Challenges

  • Porous

  • Not very cleanable or durable

  • Harbors bedbugs and bacteria

Crypton Fabric

Crypton fabric is specially manufactured with a fluid-resistant backing that makes it more like vinyl than the fabrics it so closely resembles. This textile has the same large range of color and pattern options as fabrics, but it’s much more acceptable for a healthcare setting as fluids cannot seep into the chair as they can with fabric. However, this material is still semipermeable and can hold unwanted odors. 

Crypton requires specific cleaners for regular maintenance, as it can degrade quickly if cleaned improperly, so staff must be well-trained on the correct cleaner to use on this material. This textile can also be expensive and is not the most durable option. Due to this, Crypton is often used on the backs of chairs in low-abuse settings such as private practices and senior living centers.

Benefits

 

  • Same range of color and pattern options as fabric

  • Fluid-resistant backing is healthier than fabric options

  • Good choice for chair backrests that receive less wear

Challenges

  • Semipermeable

  • Requires special cleaners and can degrade quickly if cleaned improperly

  • Expensive

  • Can hold odors

PVC-Free Vinyl

PVC-free vinyl is an impermeable and eco-friendly textile ideal for inpatient and acute care facilities. Because it’s PVC-free, this material emits no off-gas, making it a great choice where indoor air quality is a concern. In addition, this textile has a soft, comfortable feel. Unfortunately, the color palette is limited. Though relatively easy to clean, PVC-free vinyl is fragile and can degrade quickly and pucker if not maintained correctly.

Benefits

  • Impermeable

  • Emits no off-gas and is great for indoor air quality

  • Soft, comfortable feel

Challenges

  • Fragile and will degrade quickly if not properly cared for

  • Can pucker

  • Limited aesthetically—only solid colors are available

Vinyl

Like PVC-free vinyl, regular vinyl is commonly used in inpatient and acute care facilities, including typical hospital settings. Vinyl is also impermeable and Greenguard Certified for better indoor air quality, but this material is much more durable and easy to maintain. 

You should note that over-bleaching can lead to the breakdown of plasticizers (the additive used to make vinyl soft and pliable), and the stripping of plasticizers can lead to cracking and ripping that The Joint Commission will quickly write up as a violation. On the plus side, vinyl is available in a much wider range of colors and patterns than PVC-free vinyl. Bedbugs and bacteria contamination are less of a concern with this textile, though these may still thrive in the seams of the material.

Benefits

  • Impermeable

  • Greenguard Certified for better indoor air quality

  • Many patterns and colors available

  • Durable with good light resistance

  • Easy to clean (though this varies depending on manufacturer)

Challenges

  • Can degrade if over-bleached

  • Seams can harbor bedbugs and bacteria

IC+

Ideal for emergency departments, IC+ is the top-of-the-line choice for high-traffic hospitals that require the very best in durability and cleanliness. Healthcentric is the only company that manufactures IC+. The treatment is applied via a spraying technique rather than sewn. As a result, IC+ has no seams for bacteria and bedbugs to thrive in, making it the best choice to prevent the spread of infection. 

This material is also 10 times stronger than vinyl, completely impermeable, does not degrade, and has a very high abuse rate, making it ideal for busy emergency rooms that see patients with a vast range of ailments. Not only will this material not rip or crack, but it’s also safe to clean even with harsh bleaches. 

IC+ is truly the best option available for healthcare facilities, but it is worth noting that color options are limited, and this material is not the most comfortable for patients due to its durable build.

Benefits

  • 10 times stronger than vinyl

  • Does not degrade

  • Seamless design does not harbor bedbugs or bacteria

  • Highest abuse rate

  • Easy to clean

Challenges

  • Not the most comfortable

  • Very limited color palette

The Complete Guide to Healthcare Sleepers

Most hospitals provide an area in each patient room specifically designated as a family zone, wherein family members and friends are permitted to stay, whether it be for a few hours or overnight. The family zone of a patient room is located farthest away from the door and usually includes comfortable furniture to keep guests content when they need to be in the room for long periods. Sleeper chairs are often supplied so that friends and family can rest at the hospital when watching over their loved ones.

Types of Sleeper Chairs

Several styles of sleeper chairs and sofas are available. 

Pull-Out Sleepers

Pull-out sleeper chairs look similar to club chairs and have a seat that pulls forward to extend into a bed. The benefit to this type of sleeping chair is that it has a small initial footprint and is usually portable for easy cleaning. However, be sure your patient rooms have enough space for this type of sleeper to pull out all the way without impeding caregivers while they work. Because the clearance for these convertible chairs is much greater extended than when it’s closed up, you’ll need to make sure that healthcare providers can move around the sleeper while it’s pulled out in bed form.

Side-Opening Sleepers 

Side-opening sofa beds look similar to loveseats and contain a mattress that pulls out from the side, hence the name. Like pull-out sleepers in chair form, side-opening loveseat sleepers have a small initial footprint, but the room must accommodate the larger footprint that the unit takes up when used as a bed.

Daybed Sleepers 

Daybed sleepers look like sofas. This type of sleeper couch takes up no additional space in a room when used as a bed because it works via a flip-down back that is folded on top of the seat and then laid on.

Double Sleepers 

Most commonly used in pediatric hospitals, double sleepers are provided for parents who want to stay in the hospital with their child. This type of hospital sofa bed is usually pull-out style but twice the size of the average sleeper.

Questions to Ask Before Selecting Sleeper Sofas and Chairs

What will the room truly accommodate? Be honest about how much space you have to work in your patient rooms. You may prefer a pull-out sleeper, but if there isn’t enough clearance between the wall and the patient bed, a daybed sleeper could be a better option.

Are the walls protected? Many people don’t account for wall protection when selecting new furniture. Because they’re used for long hours at a time by hospital guests, sleepers can get moved around in a rough manner. To prevent scuffs on your patient room walls, opt for a sleeper with a wall-saver backrest design.

How will it be cleaned? When it comes to furniture, there are few things in a healthcare facility that are more important than cleanliness. Most sleeper couches are upholstered in healthcare-grade vinyl, which is antimicrobial and a breeze to keep clean. You may also want to look for a unit with a lot of replaceable parts, as these can be disassembled for more thorough cleaning. Make sure that the space where guests sit is separate from the space where guests will rest their heads to sleep.

Is storage needed? Caregivers can use storage underneath the sleeper to store pillows and blankets. It can also be a safe space for guests to keep personal belongings. Some patient rooms may already have space for these purposes, but if yours don’t, then choosing sleepers with built-in storage is probably the best option.

New Year, New Healthcare Furniture

With a new year comes new trends and new technology, and that's true for the healthcare industry, too. From the waiting room to the patient rooms and everything in between, we offer a huge selection of healthcare furniture for the whole building. Here are just a new of our newest healthcare collections for 2018.

0 Comments

Leave a Comment

Your comment has been sent.

Nicole Groshek

Nicole Groshek is the social media and content coordinator for National Business Furniture. She helps employees discover the true joy in loving what they do, from working in an inspiring office to having a little fun on the job.