One of the requirements for electric power distribution in L&D, NICUs, and PICUs is
the provision of emergency power supplied by hospital-based generators. Specially
marked (by, for example, a red outlet faceplate) emergency power outlets should be provided
for life-support medical devices that must remain electrically powered in the event
of a power failure. Medical devices integrated with a hospital-wide information system
and data processing equipment should be on emergency power. Typically, emergency
power circuits are energized within 10 seconds of loss of normal power. Most data processing
systems, such as servers, will restart within that time. Systems that cannot tolerate
power interruption for as long as 10 seconds must be energized by an uninterruptible
power source (UPS).