Industry Standards

System designers, consultants and I.T. managers who have faced the challenges of all of the unique applications and pathway challenges in a hospital environment attest that there are many differences compared to planning a premises network for an office facility.  The main difference in designing premises data and voice networks versus an IP-based infrastructure for healthcare is application dependency (healthcare) vs. application independency (office space). This affects all aspects of the cabling infrastructure including pathways, cable types, terminations and the size of the telecom rooms.

In 2010 TIA published ANSI/TIA-1179 Healthcare Facility Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard that builds upon the other TIA standards and documents to aid in the planning and installation of a structured cabling system for healthcare facilities and buildings.  This standard addresses telecommunications infrastructure intended to support a wide range of healthcare facilities and systems to include:

·         Topology

·         Pathways and spaces

·         EF, ER & TR requirements

·         Fiber optic and copper cabling recommendations

·         Work area densities

·         Ancillary devices