Leading healthcare technology company Innova Care Concepts announced a key evolution to its Interlude 500 ultra-low bariatric care bed. It will now incorporate the VersaDrive, a unique motorised assist system designed to help caregivers move patients more easily.
Integrated at the bed’s footboard, the VersaDrive is an advanced motorised wheel that uses sensors to detect the bed’s intended direction of movement. Using intuitive automation, the VersaDrive automatically adjusts the bed in the right direction to reduce strain and enable professionals to interact with the patient constantly.
This unique evolution adds further functionality to the Interlude 500, which remains unrivalled as the only bariatric care bed with a safe working load of 500kg while remaining just 21 centimetres from the ground, enhancing fall-prevention protection. Manufactured by Canadian technology company Rotec International and distributed as the Interlude 500 by Innova, the bariatric bed was originally launched in the UK in 2021.
“Bariatric care is a space which requires constant evolution not only to meet the specific needs of patients but the medical professionals who care for them in clinical environments,” said Innova Care Concepts managing director Tom Hulbert.
“We recognise the crucial need for flexibility when moving patients, often in ward environments with limited space. The VersaDrive technology we are adding to the Interlude 500 enables far greater freedom of movement and increases the ability to take swift, unchallenged action if a patient requires urgent intervention. This will be particularly useful to nurses and other care professionals who are constantly time-poor and often need to make fast, effective decisions to promote patient well-being.”
Speaking about the launch of the VersaDrive, president and CEO of Rotec International, Miguel Valero, said: “It is a pleasure to work with professionals like Innova Care Concepts in the UK. We find their dynamism and competencies important and are confident our bed has a great future in this market.”
The obesity crisis remains one of the most pressing health challenges in the UK and Europe. Recent research revealed that obesity was a factor in over one million hospital admissions in 2019–2020. The care and supervision of obese individuals within hospital environments bring unique complications and challenges compared to patients who are not considered overweight. Further, recent analyses predict that over a third of UK patients will be considered obese by 2025.
Beyond its weight-bearing and low patient positioning attributes, the Interlude 500 bed offers a range of unique and sector-leading features designed to assist and support care professionals in better managing the needs of patients. These include the ability to enter and exit the bed itself rapidly, a bed exit detection system, expandability to accommodate different sizes of mattresses and, importantly, in the post-Covid environment, constructed using a simple-to-clean antibacterial steel structure to aid infection prevention.
The UK compares poorly to other high-income countries, with one of the highest rates of obesity in Europe. In England, the greatest rates of obesity are seen in more deprived parts of the country, with evidence suggesting the gap between obese and non-obese patients has grown substantially over the past five years. The reasons for the continued increase in obesity are multifactorial and socio-economic factors are believed to include personal behaviours, an individual’s physical environment and limitations in strategies to prevent and tackle public health inequalities.