How to get the most out of hospital security systems

Hospitals are high-traffic places, and with the nature of the services they provide, hospitals require specific security solutions. Hospital patients, visitors, and employees are vulnerable categories considering the number of people that occupy the hospital and the hospital’s large and multi-story buildings. Security guard patrol understands the complexity of hospital security systems and implements its best practice to ensure that hospitals or other related healthcare facilities are safe places for everyone.

Common hospital security threats

Workplace violence

Estimations are that healthcare employees are more likely to experience workplace violence than workers in any other professional service. Approximately 80% of violent attacks and incidents result from interactions between hospital staff and patients. This statistic reveals that those incidents are caused by patients that attacked hospital personnel by kicking, hitting, beating, or/and pushing employees. Psychiatric aides have the greater risk of patient violence; next are the nursing assistants and employees in an emergency ward, geriatric, pediatric, and behavioral health departments.

Therefore, protecting healthcare workers requires specific measures to prevent physical and psychological harassment. The hospital environment considers many different and unique circumstances for disturbance to emerge, so the healthcare workers require different levels of support.

“Active shooter”

“Active shooter” is a term used to alarm medical staff that someone has shot in the hospital from a firearm. The statistics suggest that approximately 16 shooting incidents emerge annually in the US. Most of these shootings take place in emergency departments, and the following are parking lots and patients’ rooms. These events show us that it is demanding to work on creating a comprehensive security solution and effective emergency response.

Infant abductions

Statistics indicate that approximately in the US, six infants were stolen yearly until 2017, when hospitals developed improved security protocols. Estimations suggest that most infant abduction cases happen in mothers’ hospital rooms, and 8% occur by violence. Another devastating statists data implies that many of those abductions were committed by persons disguised as a doctor and kidnaped infants from the mothers’ hands. The infant security solution for this problem came through patient education and access limitations in the maternity ward. Restricting entering the maternity ward consider authorization access to maternity hospital personnel and individuals that can prove that they are related to or in another relationship with a mother.

Thefts

Healthcare facilities are an attractive place for stealing drugs, supplies, and food due to the multitude of present people and the complexity of the premises. Besides mentioned things, frequently stolen items include expensive hospital equipment.

Cyber attacks

Cyber attacks mainly refer to stealing and abusing confidential information and transition data. The vulnerability of healthcare data security comes from a lack of security procedures and poor software security. The most common cyber attacks in health care are data breaches, ransomware, DDoS attacks, Insider threats, fraud scams, and business email compromises.

Benefits of integrating hospital security systems-

• Integrated security systems increase access control. An integrated security system with cameras and alarms will notify unauthorized access and, combined with access control systems, will ensure maximum protection.
• By integrating the security system, you can monitor hospital facilities in a real-time. Installed security cameras provide a look into hospital rooms, floors, premises, and parking so that security officers can notify and react to any suspicious activity and person.
• Parking lot security guard is very efficient due to their ability to patrol and maintain order regarding vehicles, proper parking, parking places reserved for patients with handicaps, pregnant women, parents with children, and hospital employees.
• Alarm systems are an essential part of healthcare security solutions. Alarms can alert hospital staff, patients, and visitors of the danger of fire, unauthorized access, or if a patient is missing. Alarm systems can trigger other security measures, such as locking down entrances, elevators, and doors.
• Integrated security system automatizes and centralizes all security equipment. That allows hospital security to be easy to operate and effective.
• Centralized hospital security systems allow hospitals to easily perceive weak security points, recognize problems, and address issues. With the ability to collect important security data, hospitals can be proactive in finding security solutions.
• A centralized security system provides a hospital advantage by updating the whole system at once instead of having to update each part of the system individually. This approach saves hospitals time and money.
• As hospital security systems consider the integration of both human and technical factors, security officers are necessary and indispensable for guaranteeing a safe environment. Officers are supplied with various security guard equipment such as radios, keys, batons, pepper sprays, and other utensils that help them neutralize threats.
• The most important benefit of an integrated system is that it provides improved security at a hospital. The presence of such a security system gives both patients and employees a sense of security and safety, making the patients’ experience more satisfying while decreasing employees’ stress and increasing the quality of care.

How to ensure maximum safety at a hospital

Access control optimization

Access control optimization is the way to ensure who, when, and how enters healthcare facilities. There are many types of access credentials; however, no matter the type hospital opts for (touch access, mobile phone access, biometrical or face recognition, or others), their purpose is the same: to notify whether the door is open or closed, whether they opened by force, and to monitor for held open alarms.

Surveillance systems

Video surveillance and CCTV systems consider IP, hybrid, or analog security camera systems, networks, local or cloud-based storage alternatives, interactive video surveillance, video and alarm verifications, real-time monitoring by mobile devices, and integration with other security systems. Security cameras in hospital rooms ensure the visibility of any emergency, incidents, improper actions, and other disturbances to workers’ and patient safety. Additionally, security cameras can record and save events that took place in a hospital that might be significant lately.

Metal Detectors

Metal detectors are great contributors to patient safety and employees, especially when combined with door access control and security doors, effective scanning, detecting, and preventing the entering of suspicious individuals.

Panic Alarms

A panic alarm system alerts the people currently in the hospital that safety threats have emerged. These systems allow a person to silently and quickly call for help if in a situation of duress and emergency state.

Armed patrol

Armed patrol is a human factor in providing security at a hospital. Security officers are licensed to wear firearms and other equipment. Security staff does not tolerate any verbal or physical aggression neither to patients or employees and are instructed to deter potential offenders.

Final thoughts

Hospitals are one of the central institutions of society. The importance of hospitals for people is in the services they provide; without their safety and their employees’ and patients’ safety, their overall functioning is threatened. If you are looking for an advanced hospital security system, contact us to ensure a safe environment for people and equipment security with progressive technology and highly-trained officers. Our team will evaluate the level of protection and security system that best suits your needs, compiled with healthcare standards and requirements.