Making sure there’s enough breathing room: Updating medical gas systems
One of the many lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic is that medical gas system capacity is an important consideration. I suspect a lot of folks are giving serious consideration to how best to shore up (and build upon) existing oxygen capacity, in the event that there is another significant influx of patients requiring oxygen therapies. Certainly, anyone building new is going to be able to amp up capacity as a function of the planning process, but for those of you who have not yet embarked on planning in earnest, the following resources might very well help you work through the process. I don’t think anyone within the sound of my voice (so to speak) is a fan of reinventing the wheel, so if you’re looking at oxygen and capacity, these would be an excellent starting point:
- https://www.hfmmagazine.com/articles/3910-bulk-medical-oxygen-systems
- https://centerforhealthsecurity.org/sites/default/files/2023-01/210126-oxygen-memo.pdf
- https://www.jointcommission.org/-/media/tjc/documents/covid19/kp-nfs-kaiser-fspde-medical-air-and-oxygen-capacity-pub-20200329.pdf
- https://www.chthealthcare.com/blog/medical-gas-systems-installation
Lots of information and lots to think about. Insert pun about taking a deep breath …
About the Author: Steve MacArthur is a safety consultant with Chartis Clinical Quality Solutions (formerly known as The Greeley Company) in Danvers, Mass. He brings more than 30 years of healthcare management and consulting experience to his work with hospitals, physician offices, and ambulatory care facilities across the country. He is the author of HCPro's Hospital Safety Director's Handbook and is contributing editor for Healthcare Safety Leader. Contact Steve at stevemacsafetyspace@gmail.com.