Infant Protection and STANLEY Healthcare Hugs™

Infants are the most vulnerable patients in the hospital. The prospect of abduction, wrongful discharge, or losing track of a child in a busy facility is unthinkable, but it does happen, and the consequences are severe for both families and the hospital. While infant security is typically well covered in obstetrics, outside of the unit, there are few protections in place for infant patients.

Beyond unit-specific infant protections

If you look in every closet in a hospital’s obstetrics unit, you might eventually locate the infant security system. Chances are it’s outdated and not managed to the same extent as other hospital security systems. In many cases, the protection it offers does not extend beyond the doors of the unit. According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, of 140 reported infant abductions in healthcare facilities, 39 occurred outside of the mother’s room or nursery. Setting aside the possibility of an infant being off unit for legitimate medical reasons, often, the NICU, pediatrics, and overflow units are not covered by this security. And once a baby has been removed from protected areas, it becomes a lot harder to find them.

Infants are uniquely vulnerable in their inability to communicate, and they aren’t the only ones hurt in the event of abduction or misidentification. Infant safety incidents affect families, hospital employees, and the reputation of the facility involved.

Infant protection and other systems

So, what needs to change? The first step is integrating infant security tools with hospital-wide security systems. Integrated technology enhances a hospital’s ability to respond to an abduction, communicate the problem throughout the facility, and enact infant protection protocols. Integrated security is more efficient, less expensive, and centralized for easier tracking of all security-related data. And when integrated security technology is updated and patched, infant security systems aren’t lost in the shuffle.

Speaking of technology updates, IT has a critical role — alongside clinical and security staff — in ensuring infant security. Involving IT staff in maintaining and upgrading infant security systems can help relieve some of the stress of infant security from clinical staff, ensure errors are caught quickly, and keep the equipment as up to date as any mission-critical system should be. 

STANLEY Healthcare Hugs™

Real-time location systems (RTLS), like STANLEY Healthcare’s Hugs Infant Protection solution, are the way of the future. Hugs uses ankle bands to keep up with babies when they are moved, allowing them to be easily located throughout the hospital. If an infant is moved without authorization, clinical and security staff can be alerted, and security protocols can be incorporated into the system to activate in relation to the baby’s location.

 STANLEY Healthcare’s Hugs also prevents accidental misidentification. Parents receive wristbands — called Kisses — that match with their baby’s ankle band, helping to ensure every newborn receives the correct feeding — and goes home with the correct family. STANLEY Healthcare’s Hugs and Kisses are designed to be hypoallergenic, durable, rechargeable, and difficult to remove, ensuring a comfortable and secure way to keep track of babies.

Infant protection is too critical to rely on unit-specific security alone. Linking infant protection to other security measures and incorporating STANLEY Healthcare’s Hugs technology, can dramatically decrease risk for these vulnerable patients.

To learn more about the latest innovations in infant security technology for your healthcare facility, contact sgranillo@TRLSystems.com.