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Patient electrical safety: a basic guide

The electrical safety of patients in healthcare centres is a matter of absolute priority, both to avoid problems with electrical current that could harm the health of patients and the operation of the healthcare centre and medical staff.

In this article we will look at some of the crucial elements in ensuring the electrical safety of the patient, such as the standards, the type of electrical system and its elements, and what to do to eliminate and deal with the dangers and risks that exist.

Hospital electrical safety can be defined as the group of preventive actions we take to minimise or eliminate the risk of accidents to patients, medical equipment and infrastructure, and healthcare personnel.

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.

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.

Alarm repeaters

Current alarm repeaters, in addition to their basic and logical use, which is to ‘snitch’ about an error or possible problem situation, have evolved to help medical personnel act. And it is that health workers have often considered this alarm as a necessary ‘nuisance’, seeing its required maintenance as a nuisance.

The fact is that, with some frequency, medical personnel have not known how to act in the face of these alarms. Or they simply did not know the risk situation that was taking place, especially in the alarms related to electrical safety.

But today, alarm repeaters not only provide additional information to medical personnel, but indicate what to do at all times to remedy the situation, or who to call. With them, touch screens also stand out on technical panels, for example in operating rooms, which allows the graphic display of the alarm with icons and colors.

Hospital safety equipment maintenance protocol

The maintenance management of safety medical equipment in hospitals contributes to providing better and greater productivity of services and equipment.

The quality of the healthcare environment is often determined based on this management, determining the final expenses and costs of the hospital safety equipment, the quality of patient care and the confidence of the healthcare professional.

For this reason, the professionals who are in charge of the management of the medical team have to make sure that this type of device is up-to-date, works correctly and can extend its useful life to the maximum without giving up its optimal functioning.

How to get it? Through the implementation of maintenance protocols for security equipment in hospitals.

Prevention of occupational hazards in hospitals

It is essential to guarantee the prevention of occupational risks to all workers in health centers.

The famous popular saying “in the blacksmith’s house, a wooden knife” can well be applied to the prevention of occupational hazards in hospitals. The reason? That historically occupational health has not been especially considered in centers that, precisely, look after the health of people and patients.

A contradiction that in recent years, fortunately, has undergone an important paradigm shift. The job security of health workers begins to gain more and more strength. Especially, after situations as serious as those we have experienced with the coronavirus pandemic. But there is a lot of work to be done.

Hospitals are those large work centers whose activity encompasses the diagnosis, treatment and care of the sick. But, and sometimes even more important, with lives at stake, it is essential to value the work of professionals.

Technology for the disinfection of COVID-19 in critical hospital areas

The coronavirus pandemic has driven innovation and improved disinfection in all hospital areas.

One of the immediate consequences of COVID-19 has been the intensification of cleaning and disinfection measures in hospitals, especially in critical areas.

Cleaning and disinfecting the surfaces of health centers has been and continues to be a great effort. Especially considering that virus germs can survive in any area of a hospital.

Isolation transformers for medical use

Medical-grade electrical transformers prevent system failures and protect patients and healthcare personnel from electrical shock.

Circuits that cannot withstand direct current load need protection. The isolation transformer provides that protection, increasing or declining the alternating currents before they reach the main equipment to which it is connected.

Therefore, isolation transformers separate a part of an electrical circuit from the main powers, guaranteeing the proper functioning of the unit. We are talking about transformers that are similar to any other type, but found in applications that have sensitive circuits.

The transformers for clinical use are manufactured to guarantee the maximum safety of hospital patients, managing to isolate the external electrical supply from the power supply of the different elements and machines used in medicine.

Design and organization of critical hospital areas

Patients, services, specialties, types of units, medical equipment … In the design and organization of critical hospital areas, a whole series of aspects must be assessed to guarantee the safety and proper functioning of the health center.

There are infinite options to define the different types of health centers: depending on their size, the services they provide,… However, in a generic way, we can define a hospital as a building where functions related to people’s health are carried out , in addition to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Each hospital has its peculiarities. However, there are some basic aspects about the design and organization of critical hospital areas that are important to assess.

Hospital ground panels and electrical outlets: what they are, what they are for and benefits

In hospitals and health centers, each machine has its mission or objective. In the case of hospital ground panels and electrical outlets, they help prevent and avoid contact voltages within critical medical areas. The possibility of electrical shocks caused by poor equipment grounding is one of the great risks faced by patients and healthcare personnel.

For this reason, it is essential to have adequate health technology, especially with the devices that guarantee the perfect functioning of electromedicine.

Hospital earth panels and electrical outlets are essential to help prevent contact voltages within hospitals and, especially, in operating rooms, ICUs or, in general, critical hospital areas.