How Hospitals are Using Modern Technology to Improve Security — Campus Security Today
How Hospitals are Using Modern Technology to Improve Security
Workplace violence is a serious and growing challenge for many organizations — including those in the healthcare industry. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers in healthcare and social services experience the highest rates of injuries caused by workplace violence and are five times as likely to suffer a workplace violence injury than workers overall — and aggressive incidents are rising.
A survey of global health organizations found that almost 60% had seen an increase in reported cases of violence against staff during the pandemic. This ranged from verbal or physical aggression to property damage or loss due to destruction or theft of assets, to obstruction of care. In most cases, the main sources of violence were patients or their loved ones.
In response to these escalating threats within the workplace, many health organizations are ramping up security, implementing procedures to ensure better reporting and monitoring of violent incidents, and providing training in de-escalation techniques. They’re also paying more attention to risk assessment and mitigation, enhancing accountability, and coordinating with stakeholders for better threat prevention and response.
Supporting Staff to Respond to Threats More Effectively
Speed of intervention is critical when there is a potential threat. One powerful and important tool to mitigate workplace violence is the introduction of a modern, unified physical security platform to allow security teams to quickly and efficiently identify incidents of concern and respond appropriately.
When security systems are unified, operators in control centers can easily leverage multiple sources to see different angles and understand different aspects of an incident. This makes investigating and responding to incidents quicker. Data from multiple cameras, access points, and other relevant sources are displayed together in one interface.
Instead of looking up video footage in one system and access control logs on another screen, security operators can view intrusion reports on an intuitive map and quickly access any related data from connected sensors, cameras, or other devices. Within the same software, operators can lock or unlock doors, alert security teams, locate security devices, activate devices, or initiate escalation protocols, facilitating quicker responses to de-escalate violent or stressful situations to better protect staff, patients, and visitors.
Some platforms also offer mobile apps so that guards can tap into powerful software features while on the go. If dispatched, they can turn their cell phone into a camera so they can feed video back to the security operations center, for example.
Adding standard operating procedures (SOPs) to a unified digital platform can create step-by-step workflows for these types of incidents and events. This reduces guesswork about how to respond so that all necessary steps are followed to de-escalate violence or trigger contingency plans.
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