Supply units

Lighting of wards and their supply with electrotechnical installations, communication technology and medical gas is achieved using so-called supply units which must fulfil the provisions of the international standard EN ISO 11197 "Medical supply units" (German edition 2009).

Horizontal supply units are installed to the wall above the beds; vertical supply units are installed between beds or next to a bed. The most important installation features of medical supply units include:

• indirect general lighting,
• direct reading lighting,
• indirect observation lighting for nighttime,
• 230 V safety sockets,
• low-voltage sockets for connecting bedside operating units for internal communication, i.e. nurse call, light call, reading lighting ON/OFF, radio control,
• telephone sockets,
• 230 V sockets, possibly with safety power,
• extraction valves for medical gases such as oxygen and compressed air,
• plug-in coupling for patient monitoring (e.g. body temperature or blood pressure measurement),
• intranet access sockets, e.g. to access vital signs from the central computer system, as well as Internet access,
• possibly couplings for potential equalisation.

Medical supply units are ready-made, certified electro-medical devices according to EU standard 93/42/EEC. They are future-proof investments. Compared to in-wall installations implemented by the customer, they can be adjusted to changing uses more rapidly.

Figure 3.119: Lighting systems in ward rooms.

Ward rooms, maternity wards    Examination rooms