electrical safety archivos - ETKHO Hospital Engineering

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.

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.

8 ETKHO solutions for electrical safety in operating rooms

Electrical safety in medical centers, especially in critical hospital areas, is a matter that must be considered with the utmost seriousness.

Having a well-designed and complete electrical system is equivalent to taking all possible precautions beforehand and, therefore, facing the potential complications related to hospital electrical safety.

Not surprisingly, hospital units are contexts with high risks of electrical failures if they do not have an adequate electrical safety system. We are talking about failures that are not only limited to material equipment, but can cause damage and human loss.

At ETKHO, as experts in hospital electrical safety, we are specialized in the manufacture of electrical safety equipment and services for hospitals and operating rooms.

Automatic switching systems

These devices are crucial for the proper functioning of the electrical network in hospital areas, especially when faults may arise.

In recent times, the continuity of service in low voltage electrical installations has become essential. Especially in the hospital setting. This requirement is essential to create facilities that, economically and functionally, are efficient.

The reason? The reduction to the minimum of the problems derived from electrical failures thanks to a system that, automatically, is capable of switching the power supply from the main line to an emergency one.

Automatic switching incorporates sequences that automatically control system components without operator intervention.

Health certifications in hospitals

El diseño hospitalario, en los últimos años, está evolucionando a gran velocidad, incorporando paulatinamente elementos y conceptos que responden a las necesidades de pacientes, familias y personal sanitario.

No en vano, cada vez somos más conscientes del brutal efecto de los hospitales sobre el planeta a nivel de huella de carbono, consumo de energía, la producción de dioxinas carcinogénicas por la incineración de los desechos hospitalarios, etc.

Así, los centros de salud son instalaciones que, en aras de proveer atención de salud con calidad y calidez, no pueden dejar de lado las connotaciones técnicas, tecnológicas, administrativas y éticas que este asunto lleva aparejadas.

Hospital design: building the healthcare centers of the future

Hospital design, in recent years, has been evolving at high speed, gradually incorporating elements and concepts that respond to the needs of patients, families and healthcare personnel.

Not surprisingly, we are increasingly aware of the brutal effect of hospitals on the planet in terms of carbon footprint, energy consumption, the production of carcinogenic dioxins due to the incineration of hospital waste, etc.

Thus, health centers are facilities that, in order to provide quality and warm health care, cannot ignore the technical, technological, administrative and ethical connotations that this matter carries with it.

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.