High-Tech Solutions for Hospital Security
For a place dedicated to healing, several security issues continuously plague the halls of hospitals. Hospitals serve as a beacon of hope, care, and safety for patients and clinical staff. When that environment is shaken with security risks, hospital teams must take action. Technology is providing new options for protecting hospital staff and patients alike.
Security risks
Hospitals provide a haven for sick and injured patients and should be a safe place to work for employees. Hospitals are where people tend to be at their most vulnerable, and security risks affect staff, patients, and visitors alike. The rise of violence and crime in healthcare facilities can strip hospital staff of their sense of safety and contributes to higher employee turnover. Theft of anything from drugs and equipment to the cars in the parking lot are a potential issue. Infants can be abducted by family members or complete strangers and are incredibly difficult to find once they are taken from protected units. Confused or angry patients can assault staff or attempt to leave. People trespass into restricted areas. There’s even, as with many public places in the U.S., the risk of a mass shooting.
Physical attacks and theft are not the only concerns. Hospitals possess and maintain federally protected health documents for their patients. Cyberattacks put those documents at risk of being stolen, lost, held for ransom, or illegally sold. As the pandemic drags on, these types of cyberattacks have grown more common and more likely.
Hospitals have security measures in place, so why do these problems persist?
Traditional solutions
Many traditional security methods aren’t the most effective in hospital environments. Older cameras and video management systems, for instance, aren’t built to tell you something suspicious is happening. They require security people to interpret data, and in the aftermath, it’s difficult to identify people in camera footage.
Why not just screen everyone at entrances to make sure they aren’t carrying something dangerous inside? Traditional metal detectors are inefficient, create bottlenecks, and require more staff. Getting inside a hospital quickly can be a life-or-death scenario, and creating a bottleneck at the door may prevent at-risk patients from accessing timely care. Traditional screening methods don’t allow for the free flow of people and are generally regarded as inconvenient and intrusive, which puts a damper on the patient and visitor experience before they even make it through the door.
What is the solution for protecting your hospital and the people relying on it?
High-tech solutions
Higher quality cameras are a big step, especially when enhanced with additional advanced technology options. For example, artificial intelligence (AI) weapons detection systems can identify a potential threat, alert a hospital representative to assess the situation, and track flagged potential threats through a facility in real time.
Advanced weapons detection systems can prevent entry point bottlenecks by removing the lines at ingress, which is protection and peace of mind from the threat of an active shooter. Staff and patients can also be alerted to an issue quickly with smart integrated alert systems that increase effective communication and transparency.
Security risks remain an issue within hospital systems. Staff and patients expect and deserve a safe place to work and heal, but traditional security measures aren’t always enough to combat the risks hospitals confront today. With an investment in high-tech security solutions, hospitals can create a safe environment for patients, staff, and visitors.
To learn more about advanced security technology for your healthcare facility, contact sgranillo@TRLSystems.com.