This Guide is
intended to raise awareness of electricity in the medical workplace. It gives
an overview of electricity and its use in the medical workplace setting. This Guide is
intended to raise awareness of electricity in the medical workplace. It gives
an overview of electricity and its use in the medical workplace setting.
Electricity can be useful for certain medical interventions, particularly when applied in small, controlled amounts. However it can also be hazardous at unsafe levels of exposure.
The Guide discusses electricity as it affects the human body, referring to
beneficial aspects as well as not so beneficial aspects. We explore electricity
and its usage in the medical workplace, and look at important aspects of electrical
equipment in medical practice. Some tips and guidelines for users of electrical
equipment in medical practice are offered.
Who should read this booklet
If you are a nurse, allied health professional, doctor, or a consultant, you should find this booklet useful and informative. Remember, the aim of this booklet is to highlight important messages about electricity in the medical workplace, and in particular:
- the need to be careful in general when using electrical equipment in medical practice, and when connecting equipment to the electrical supply;
- in patient areas, and in particular in cardiac protected areas, additional
measures need to be observed. Users of electrical equipment in medical practice
need to be more aware of the effects of electricity when treating patients in
these areas.
This publication was introduced on 1st March 2010. Further information on the training course based on this publication is available by contacting ETCI.