DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY
personnel manage client and patient information. Lovasio outlined some of the information already available regarding the blueprint of our personal lives in the paper Digital Heritage from the Smart City and the Internet of Things.2 Medical gas, electrical systems, and
TCPs (theatre control panels), also known as surgeon’s panels, have existed as independent systems running independently from hospital information systems. When one evaluates the risks of engineering system failures to the patient as well as the healthcare worker the priority of control systems is easily understood. The common risks to patients and healthcare workers have been classified as but not limited to: electrocution; loss of power during a procedure; loss of ventilation, leading to increased infection risk; loss of medical gases during a procedure; and high concentrations of anaesthetic agents.
Results and findings Here follows the results and findings from the study. l There was an overall decline in the number of breakdowns post- installation of an automated monitoring system.
l The reaction time to alarm – the time between occurrence of the fault and rectification of the fault condition – was improved by 40 per cent.
l Data used for predictive maintenance and system optimisation, particularly on the HVAC and medical gas system, was more reliable than with a human resource. The sampling time, accuracy, and consistency of data were more precise.
l There was a definite reduction in the wastage of stock from cold storage failures.
l The overall energy consumption of the plant was improved when compared watts per square metre against the same system pre-installation. This can
Figure 3. Chiller plant.
be seen by comparing, pre-installation power curve to post installation power curve.
l In some sites, it was possible to justify the business case for heat recovery systems as the data stored on by the CPU (central processing unit) provided scientific data that could be used to prove a business case and return on investment.
l Another significant result was the decrease in the failure of compressors and refrigeration plants leading to an improved cold chain. Maintaining the cold chain by reducing the system failures in refrigeration led to a reduction in wastage of stock both in the food and beverage department but also in the pharmaceutical arena.
Conclusion This study showed that a SCADA system and IoMT can be used to improve the performance of hospital infrastructure. A cluster of airborne infection isolation rooms, as well as a theatre complex infrastructure with an embedded, IoMT- enabled system, was used as a case study and we were able to reduce the exposure of a human resource to an infectious
environment by substituting the human sensory and tactile ability with an automated system for remote plant diagnosis and management. The changeover of a room from
positive to negative pressure could also be done remotely, which then frees up human resources. The ability to diagnose a system failure remotely or locally with a global view of the hospital and system proved to be a time-saving system ability. The study also provided valuable
information and data, which was used to fine-tune the plant and improve overall performance and energy consumption. We were able to compare electrical data gathered from various power analysers and loggers. Data from this study was also used to better understand the realistic uninterruptible power requirements and draw a comparison against the calculated data. We were also able to use Raspberry Pi
and Arduino open-source hardware to substitute otherwise expensive controllers and provide a cost-effective solution to local alarms and non-critical control. The PLC was also able to assist in the management of a backup system for fan failure and door control in the clustered isolation rooms. This back-up system provided an N+1 design solution that further protected healthcare workers and visitors in the event of fan failure in airborne infection isolation rooms.
IFHE
References 1 Becker’s Health IT. How bed-tracking technology allowed Mt Sinai Medical Center to reduce admission wait times. 2013 [
https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/ healthcare-information-technology/how-bed- tracking-technology-allowed-mt-sinai- medical-center-to-reduce-admission-wait-
times.html].
Figure 4. 104
2 Losavio, M. Digital Heritage from the Smart City and the Internet of Things: History or Statis? 2015 [
https://www.researchgate.net/ publication/299603227_Digital_heritage_ from_the_Smart_City_and_the_Internet of_Things_History_or_stasis].
IFHE DIGEST 2022
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