As Powered for Patients digs deeper into the role of remote monitoring and automated reporting technology in increasing situational awareness of at-risk emergency power systems during disasters, the need for a consensus protocol for leveraging this technology becomes even more evident.
Developing such a protocol is a key outcome of the National Working Group on Information Sharing, a new Powered for Patients initiative for which planning continues. As this planning advances, Powered for Patients Project Director Eric Cote has received lots of input on this issue from hospital facility managers, remote monitoring technology providers and government officials.
While government officials are eager to tap the capability of remote monitoring and automated reporting technology to rapidly get status reports about hospital emergency power systems during disasters, a key challenge will be finding a way to vet information before it is passed up the chain of command. Many of the automatic notifications generated by remote monitoring technologies relate to mechanical threats that can often be resolved without problem. Yet, this technology also can automatically detect and rapidly alert facilities personnel to catastrophic mechanical failures that can signal an imminent loss of emergency power. The Powered for Patients initiative will work with key stakeholders to help develop protocols around rapidly sharing more urgent mechanical threat notifications up the chain of command.
The sooner government officials know of a mechanical threat that has the potential to disable an emergency power system, the faster government resources can be deployed to avert a failure. Similarly, accelerated notice to utilities of a potential failure of a hospital’s emergency power system during a disaster can enable reprioritization of restoration efforts. Stakeholders interested in taking part in the National Working Group on Information Sharing are encouraged to contact Project Director Eric Cote at cote@poweredforpatients.org.