According to a new study commissioned by Schneider Electric, health care facilities are missing out on opportunities to reduce energy use and costs, avoid outages and improve patient satisfaction because their power distribution and management systems are not equipped to take advantage of the Internet of Things (IoT) and other advanced technologies.
The survey of 150 health care executives and facility managers underscores the importance of reliable power distribution and management in health care facilities and highlights the opportunity to integrate IoT-enabled power solutions to better meet health facility objectives.
On average, more than one-third (36 percent) of respondents – who represent hospitals, health systems, doctors’ offices and clinics, and other health care facilities – indicated their power distribution and management systems are more than five years old. Among respondents from hospitals, more than half (51 percent) report their power systems are at least five years old. Not surprisingly, those same facilities report greater concern with power availability and reliability and energy efficiency from their current power systems than larger organizations.
“A five-year-old power infrastructure is not necessarily a safety problem, but we’re living in the digital age where safety and efficiency are table stakes,” said Mohamed Shishani, EcoStruxure
Power implementation leader, Schneider Electric. “What’s increasingly important in health care facilities is the ability to accommodate IoT devices and data-intensive medical equipment transforming patient care. These older systems were implemented before the benefits and power requirements of advanced, connected technologies were apparent. Improving patient satisfaction, operational efficiency and financial health calls for modernization of these systems.”
IoT-enabled power solutions help address health care’s biggest challenges.
Health facility leaders recognize the critical role reliable power plays in delivering quality patient care and satisfaction. The survey found more than half (51 percent) of respondents plan to invest in power distribution and management in the next 12 months. Among the top objectives driving this investment is patient satisfaction, cited by 84 percent of respondents as being important or very important.
Power availability and reliability, improved safety and financial performance were also among the top anticipated benefits to be derived through advanced power systems.
This survey was conducted by Morar Consulting in October 2017 among 154 U.S. health care executives and facility directors and managers. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation.
