patient care areas

[wireman1]

does the beds in ashort procedure medical facility used mostly for a over nite stay have to be treated as a credical care areaand must follow the rules of 517 part 2 for wiring methods , number of receptablesp per bed etc ? wireman1

 

[infinity]

Here is the definition from Article 517:

Patient Care Area. Any portion of a health care facility wherein patients are intended to be examined or treated. Areas of a health care facility in which patient care is administered are classified as general care areas or critical care areas, either of which may be classified as a wet location. The governing body of the facility designates these areas in accordance with the type of patient care anticipated and with the following definitions of the area classification.
FPN: Business offices, corridors, lounges, day rooms, dining rooms, or similar areas typically are not classified as patient care areas.
General Care Areas. Patient bedrooms, examining rooms, treatment rooms, clinics, and similar areas in which it is intended that the patient will come in contact with ordinary appliances such as a nurse call system, electrical beds, examining lamps, telephone, and entertainment devices. In such areas, it may also be intended that patients be connected to electromedical devices (such as heating pads, electrocardiographs, drainage pumps, monitors, otoscopes, ophthalmoscopes, intravenous lines, etc.).
Critical Care Areas. Those special care units, intensive care units, coronary care units, angiography laboratories, cardiac catheterization laboratories, delivery rooms, operating rooms, and similar areas in which patients are intended to be subjected to invasive procedures and connected to line-operated, electromedical devices.

Usually the area is designated by the type of procedure(s), if any, that will take place in it. You need to look closely at the definitions of patient care areas, the FPN and the definition of critical care areas in making this determination. Generally this determination is not made by the those involved with the installations in these areas. This information should come from the facility designer in coordination with the person(s) running the facility. This is from the definition of patient care area:

The governing body of the facility designates these areas in accordance with the type of patient care anticipated and with the following definitions of the area classification

 

[roger]

Along with Trevors post, there is not much difference in the requirements of "General Care Patient Bed Locations" and "Critical Care Patient Bed Locations", basically (2) receptacles, so if there is a question as to which it would be, you should price and wire for a Critical Care Location.

Roger