Electrical Safety for Hospitals archivos - ETKHO Hospital Engineering

Switch boxes and medical gas intakes

Within the hospital safety systems and the proper functioning of each health centre, switch boxes and medical gas inlets are two of the fundamental elements for the correct and gradual administration of medical gases.

The reason is twofold: first, to guarantee and ensure the correct supply in the event of a breakdown of one of the lines and for maintenance reasons. And then, so that there is always a line in operation when a part of the lines needs to be repaired or gas cylinders need to be replaced.

In this post, we are going to find out what they are and what their characteristics are.

Industry 4.0 in the hospital sector

Industry 4.0 represents a before and after in the way of working, in the use of resources and in the optimisation of time. That is why it offers a whole series of benefits to any sector, and especially to the one that concerns us, the healthcare sector, and its relationship with the energy sector.

Why? Because it is a key element in adapting to market trends, boosting competitiveness and addressing the energy transition towards cleaner and more sustainable energy. It is also for the management of the electricity system in each hospital.

To find out more about this new Industry 4.0 and its role in healthcare, in this post we look at its current and future role, its characteristics and what it can bring to hospitals.

Towards the perfect hospital

Hospitals that do not look like refrigerators or cold and grey mega-constructions, warm, spacious, well-lit healthcare centres with large windows and a welcoming décor, comfortable rooms for both staff and patients and their families, and adequate and renovated hospital equipment.

This is what the public, patients, healthcare professionals and the sector in general have been looking for in recent years. It is the most common request in search of the perfect hospital. That ideal place for which there is still a long way to go…

So how can we achieve the perfect hospital? Or at least, health centres that respond to the requests and needs not only of today, but of the future. These are some of the keys, methods and trends that can be followed, both for hospital equipment and for improving rooms, wards, areas, floors, environments, etc.

Batteries and emergency power supply units in hospitals: what you need to know

For decades, the implementation of technology in the different spheres of human life has transformed the way we consume, relate to each other and live. It has certainly transformed it for the better. After all, a priori, technology makes our lives easier. However, as we use more and more electronic systems in our daily lives, we also become more energy dependent.

That is why, in a field such as healthcare, the use of batteries for emergency supply units in hospitals is essential to guarantee permanent access to the power supply, even in the most complicated situations or in exceptional events that may cause, for example, power cuts.

Today we want to address the importance of batteries and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) for the proper functioning of the healthcare system.

How to ensure safety in high-risk laboratories

High-security and/or high-risk laboratories are highly trained facilities equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, which makes them dangerous and high-risk places. It is therefore vital to be aware of safety standards.

In this sense, the implementation of criteria to ensure quality, whether it be obtaining accreditation such as GLP (Good Laboratory Practices), NE 45001 or ISO 9000 certification, clearly demonstrates the correct application of a safety policy.

Implementing a high level of safety and following the recommendations to guarantee safety in high-risk laboratories is non-negotiable.

Therefore, at ETKHO we have prepared a basic guide with the main rules that must be followed in high-risk laboratories, how to act in case of emergency and accident and the levels of biosafety.

All the keys to the correct design of an operating theatre

The correct design of the operating theatre is what will allow hospitals to have the most efficient operating theatres that are adaptable to the unstoppable innovation in health.

Hospitals, as a result of the social, economic and healthcare context we are going through, must optimise their resources more than ever. Efficiency, performance and innovation must go hand in hand in order to reduce healthcare spending without jeopardising increasingly patient-centred care.

Within the improvement of hospital facilities, surgical intervention areas are one of the areas where most elements have to be taken into account, and where at the same time more casuistry and problems can occur. Thus, one of the main tools for improving operating theatres is innovation in their design and conversion into modern units.

To address this issue from all angles, at ETKHO we have dissected the main keys that must be taken into account for the correct design of an operating theatre.

Equipment and facilities for haemodynamics operating theatre

Over the last two decades, the development of cath-lab rooms in hospitals has gone hand in hand with the profound transformation and innovation in hospital equipment, safety conditions and process improvement.

A profound transformation in which interventional procedures have become major players.

As new diagnostic and therapeutic modalities have appeared in this type of hospital, the level of training of medical staff, as well as the human, technical and equipment requirements, have been modified.

Find out from ETKHO what haemodynamics operating theatres consist of and what systems and elements they should contain as a basic foundation for their optimal functioning.

The hybrid operating room: design, equipment and benefits

The hybrid operating room is a great advance in the field of surgery, since, in general terms, it allows multidisciplinary work by specialists from different areas and helps to perform complex surgeries faster, easier, safer and less invasively. But what exactly is a hybrid operating room?

It is a surgical room that is equipped with advanced medical imaging/radiodiagnosis devices, allowing different diagnostic and therapeutic procedures to be carried out simultaneously.

A hybrid operating room allows the insertion of catheters or endoscopes through small holes with which to view smaller anatomical regions, greatly facilitating the surgery process.

Electrical safety in the ICU and resuscitation areas

Hospital units, especially ICUs, are contexts with high risks of electrical failures if they do not have an adequate electrical safety system.

Today, most medical devices are electronic, so they are powered by power supplies and the electrical grid. If an electrical safety failure occurs, the risk of patient injury is high. Especially, in areas such as the ICU or other critical areas in health centers.

The ICU is the intensive care unit of a hospital, that is, the area of a hospital center where the most seriously ill patients who require continuous and specific surveillance and attention are admitted.

By critical areas we understand those areas of the hospitals where health care is produced in which the risk is high. In addition to the ICU, for example, we find operating rooms, emergencies, clean rooms, isolation rooms, ICU…

To maintain hospital electrical safety in these areas, there are various elements that protect and guarantee the electrical supply. We are talking about, for example, IT power systems, uninterruptible power supplies or ground connections, among others.

5 Healthcare trends in 2022

Hospital engineering, electrical safety, the consumerization of health, mobility and telemedicine are some of the challenges that will mark the future of global health this year.

Like every beginning of the year, it is always interesting to analyse the trends that we will find in the health field. With our sights set on this 2022, at Ethko we have detected some of the main items or elements that will be decisive in hospital centers. From the outset, we cannot ignore the pandemic, which although it no longer causes the same havoc as in 2020 and early 2021, we do have to take into account that the transition from pandemic to endemic will take place.

There will be new treatments and vaccines on the market and in the sector to deal with Covid-19. In this regard, the reinforcement of primary care is a yes or yes that, however, produces more uncertainty than anything else. We already know that this virus has become persistent in thousands of people, something to keep in mind. European funds for health, the impact of mental health… The topics will be many and varied.

However, we can talk about the 5 main trends that will mark the path of health in 2022.