Danderyd Hospital using IoT to increase energy efficiency and hygiene

The project "Energy efficient healthcare" was started at Danderyd Hospital in the spring of 2019, on the initiative of Digital Demo Stockholm, a collaboration that aims to make life and work for the residents of the Stockholm region even better, with the help of digital solutions. The purpose of this project was to determine how the energy used in healthcare facilities can become more efficient with digital technology such as the Internet of Things (IoT). The project is also part of Region Stockholm's environmental goal to reduce energy consumption in facilities by ten percent from 2011 to 2021, and by 30 percent by 2030. The project has been carried out in collaboration with Danderyd Hospital, property owner Locum, Telia, Ericsson, KTH and Vattenfall.

“For us at Telia, innovation, digitalization and sustainability are central to the way we address challenges. Innovation collaborations, such as what we are doing with Digital Demo Stockholm, are valuable because together with both the public sector and other actors in the business community, we can work for smarter businesses and sustainable cities, which directly benefits the people who live there", says Magnus Leonhardt, Head of Business Development and Innovation at Telia Sweden.

About the project 

Hospitals are particularly big energy consumers. An important aspect of energy use in hospitals, in addition to cost and environmental aspects, is to ensure a good indoor climate for both patients and staff. If the temperature or humidity become too high or low, the risk increases that surgeries must be cancelled or that sterile material is destroyed. At the same time, hospitals' complex operation management make it difficult to get an overview of the energy use. Therefore, there is a big need to be able to measure and analyze changes in the indoor climate in real time.

The project at Danderyds Hospital has been carried out at the sterilization unit, the sterile materials storage and at the heart intervention and PCI lab, which performs coronary x-rays and balloon dilation of coronary arteries. Narrow-Band IoT (NB-IoT) sensors, which measure temperature, humidity and air pressure, were installed and data collected into an IoT platform that structures and stores information from both the sensors and other existing systems in the facility. The data is then visualized in real time for the staff to gain immediate insights. 

Good results

The results now show that improved control of the indoor climate reduces the risk of surgeries needing to be cancelled or sterile materials needing to be re-sterilized or discarded. This in turn has created increased benefits and safety for patients and more energy-efficient healthcare. 

“Healthcare is strictly regulated in terms of work environment, hygiene and IT security. This project is a great example of how new technology can contribute to insights that reduce both costs and environmental impact. But above all, it can contribute to the effectiveness and safety of healthcare and its patients. The concept is part of Telia's Smart Building offering for properties. In this area, we work with new connectivity technology, such as Narrow-Band IoT, which is optimized for sending small amounts of data with maximum range, energy- and cost-efficiency. The technology also reaches further and deeper underground and in buildings than traditional IoT. This fits in hospital environments that are both above and below ground”, says Björn Hansen, Head of IoT, Telia Division X.

Read more about the project:
https://www.digitaldemostockholm.com/en/demo-projects/energy-efficient-care/

Read about Telia’s Smart Building offering:
https://business.teliacompany.com/internet-of-things/smart-buildings