Equipping Tomorrow’s Healthcare Facilities for the Digital Age

November 28, 2017

Mohamed Shishani

The main mission of any healthcare facility is to provide cost-effective care, patient satisfaction and safety, and financial performance. However, according to a recent survey commissioned by Schneider Electric, many healthcare facilities don’t have the right power solutions in place to support these goals.

Aging infrastructure unequipped for the digital age

More than one-third (36 percent) of the 150 healthcare executives and facility managers surveyed indicated their power distribution infrastructures are more than five years old. While not old by power infrastructure standards, these systems are certainly outdated, designed before the energy requirements and interconnectedness of the digital age were upon us.

In fact, just 18 percent of healthcare facilities represented in the survey are taking advantage of the internet of things (IoT) in their power systems, and the percentage is even lower in smaller facilities where just nine percent have implemented significant IoT-enabled power solutions.

Safety, satisfaction outrank efficiency

Intelligent power distribution and management systems can safeguard healthcare facilities against myriad risks, not the least of which is power failure, which is not only costly but can endanger patient and staff safety.

The survey found that a quarter (25 percent) of respondents ranked safety as the most important characteristic for their facility when considering power distribution, while energy use/cost reduction and power availability/reliability followed closely behind, cited by 22 percent of respondents.

Despite challenges, healthcare facilities still planning investments in power

Interestingly, the survey found more than half of survey respondents are planning to invest in advanced power distribution in the next 12 months. Among the objectives driving this investment, patient satisfaction was cited as most important by 84 percent, followed closely by patient outcomes and energy efficiency.

It’s no surprise budget restrictions pose the biggest hurdle to investing in advanced power systems, cited by nearly half (47 percent) of respondents, followed by a misunderstanding of benefits (15 percent) and lack of internal resources to build and maintain systems (14 percent). To be expected, the budget is an even bigger challenge for 51 percent of hospitals versus 38 percent of health systems.

EcoStruxure Power – enhancing patient care through power reliability and safety

Fortunately, a full system overhaul isn’t necessary to begin reaping the benefits of IoT. Instead, facilities can upgrade or retrofit their existing systems with IoT-enabled devices and solutions such as smart electrical panels, connected power metering devices and power monitoring software.

To utilize the vast array of IoT-enabled devices and data-intensive equipment required to transform facility operations and improve patient satisfaction, today’s healthcare facilities must equip their power systems with advanced technologies.

EcoStruxure Power is tailored to meet the always-on power environments of clinical care settings and hospitals. Through connected products, edge control, and apps, analytics and services, EcoStruxure Power helps healthcare facilities ensure reliable electrical power to critical areas, identify potential issues before a power failure occurs and monitor electrical distribution to improve patient safety and reduce energy costs. Learn how EcoStruxure Power can help healthcare facilities drive value and patient satisfaction.