Hospital management has to meet many different requirements: Optimal medical care of patients, a positive and productive work environment for medical personnel and efficient use of resources are important factors for sustainable operations. To ensure comfort, energy efficiency, safety and security in all rooms KNX solutions is the technology the healthcare industry must consider.

Comprehensive, integrated solutions for the hospital environment

•  Floor standing switchboards of 5 and 7.5 kVA and 10 kVA for operating theatres, intensive care units, cardiac surgeries, long-term hospitalizations.
•  Lighting control, e.g. light scene for operation – Blind control to avoid direct sun light – Climate control for the right room temperature
• Maintenance of terminal circuits is extremely easy and safe as the breakers can be snapped on and off without any tool. Completely touch proof.
• Fault monitoring of medical devices – Metering of energy consumption and monitoring of the same network – Security junction e.g. against intrusion
• Branch circuits can be enlarged comfortably as the medical environments requires new tools or devices during its life cycle. There is no need for long and expensive shutdowns because the wiring is already embedded in the modular socket.
• Wall-mounted switchboards of 3 kVA and 5 kVA for applications such as surgery ambulatories, recovery rooms, test laboratories, dentist’s and vet’s.

Big benefits that can be realised by applying automation to healthcare:

Labour Savings – Using automation to replace manually intensive tasks that are better done by machine can be a big time saver. It doesn’t have to eliminate employees, but rather elevate them into higher-functioning roles that make use of the clinical expertise they have been trained for.

Reduced Waste – Use of paper and spreadsheets and other workarounds needed for an overfull workload can lead to a lot of waste. For example, rather than playing phone tag with a discharged patient in the free minutes between hospital nursing duties, automation can help get nurses and patients connected more efficiently.

Increased Predictability of Outcomes – When patients follow a standardized care path supported by automation, it is more likely they will stay on track towards predicted outcomes. Additionally, automation can help detect when a patient has deviated from the recommended care plan so the care team can intervene.

Higher Throughput – A nurse supported by automation tools can handle a larger population of patients at one time. Instead of scaling up and down your headcount as patient volumes grow and shrink, an automated platform can scale flexibly to address groups of all sizes.

Data-Driven Insights –Technology used to automate processes can also deliver a wealth of data in a continuous feedback loop that can be used for performance improvement and optimization. With every cycle, automation systems can collect data on how the process is working and use that information to improve the program. This way it improves on itself over time, becoming even more efficient, more accurate and more helpful to the team’s workload.

Application of KNX in care home:

At Shadon House, a nursing home for elderly people with advanced dementia in UK, a refurbishment offered an ideal opportunity to build energy efficiency into the design of the electrical services.

A lighting control system ensured that lights came on when and where they were needed. It was developed to meet the need for pre-fabrication and flexibility with overhead power and control distribution systems. As well as providing power it also provides signal bus distribution by means of its integral twisted pair communications control circuit. This solution was used to control all the lights throughout the corridors, residents’ rooms, communal areas and staff areas.

In the communal lounges, the installation of scene setting switches has allowed energy savings whilst external lights are controlled with both a light sensor and a timer. This combination of lighting controls ensures that the exterior lights come on automatically when it goes dark but are switched off automatically too at the same time every night. In the corridors, a night light setting not only saves energy but prevents residents from being disturbed by the light.

When looking for good areas to apply automation in your healthcare environment, a standardised, repeatable process is the first thing to look for. Within hospital walls, a common procedure that is performed on a large population of patients on a routine basis is a prime area to apply automation tools.

At Anglo African, our automation solutions are based on intelligent installation system that meets the highest requirements for applications in modern home and building control. The simple and proven KNX technology (http://www.knx.org), which is accepted as the world’s first open standard for the control of all types of intelligent buildings – industrial, commercial or residential. Our solutions are for new & existing buildings and is extendible/adaptable to new needs.

Are you looking to improve the efficiency of your business . Learn how Anglo African team can help you to implement an automation strategy for your enterprise needs. The Anglo African team is fully committed to helping you in achieving your  new vision to drive operations to the fullest potential. For specific queries, get in touch with Navin by calling on: 2331636 or via e-mail at navin.mautbar@infosystems.mu