The name of medical technology manufacturer Siemens Healthineers is a
healthcare, engineer and pioneer. Innovative developments are therefore part and parcel of this Munich-based company. These include beds for magnetic resonance imaging equipped with an intelligent mobility solution from TENTE – a holistic system that lessens the workload of technical radiology assistants and reduces their time spent on patient admissions by up to 30 percent.
The initial situation
Siemens Healthineers employs 50,000 employees and is one of the top 10 medical technology manufacturers in the world with a revenue of approximately 14 billion euros. As the undisputed global market leader in the field of diagnostic imaging, Siemens Healthineers offers its customers X-ray, computer tomography and magnetic resonance imaging devices that set standards in every respect
Trying to lighten the workload
All industrialised nations are facing huge challenges due to demographic change: With life expectancy increasing, the number of medical examinations being performed is also rising. A development which is exacerbated by a shortage of appropriately skilled workers. Many departments in hospitals and medical practices are inadequately staffed and they are desperately searching for efficient solutions. Siemens Healthineers identified this situation as it was first developing and introduced innovations to help combat it. One of these innovations was the MAGNETOM series with BioMatrix technology. During its development, the main focus was on three attributes: patient comfort, saving time during examinations and reducing the workload of medical staff with intuitive operation. All components of the series had to meet the highest standards when it came to these three factors. This also included the patitient beds: Siemens Healthineers endeavoured to find a pioneering mobility solutition – and found one with TENTE.
Conventional beds were often difficult to move with several pedals and a total weight of up to 540 kilograms including the patient. A laborious and time-consuming task. Our engineers provided the developers of the BioMatrix series with a holistic system that took the mobility of the bed to the next level. The key feature: a sophisticated combination of a motorised power unit (E-Drive) and an electrical locking system (Linea e-lock).
The E-Drive from TENTE ensures effortless transportation of patients and facilities manoeuvring in tight spaces. The e-lock locking system allows the castors to be controlled digitally. This includes a directional and total locking device which can be activated electronically. This increases safety and improves manoeuvrability. Rather than having to operate hard-to-reach pedals, nursing staff simply place their hands on the handles which are fitted with sensors and effortlessly manoeuvre the bed with or without a patient.
Another advantage: Compared to conventional locking systems with pedals, the e-lock locking system is very quiet, which increases patient comfort. It is also easier to dock the bed to the diagnostic unit. As soon as the technical radiology assistants remove their hands from the handles, the electrical locking system activates, which automatically holds the bed in a secure position and improves fall prevention.
"Thanks to the innovative solutions from TENTE, we were able to significantly improve user-friendliness."
Anne Becker, Global Marketing Managerin at Siemens Healthineers
This extremely easy-to-operate device series enables qualified nursing staff to reduce their working time when admitting a single patient by up to 30 percent. The result is less stress for everyone involved and a lighter workload for medical staff. This gives them more time and patients can be transported quicker and more comfortably.
The intuitive and simple operation of the beds allows nursing staff to fully concentrate on their patients. These numerous benefits impress Siemens Healthineers customers across the board and are resulting in increasing sales figures. More than two thirds of the beds sold now feature our TENTE E-Drive driving system.