FEATURE ARTICLES
HOW HEALTHCARE FACILITIES CAN LEVERAGE INTEGRATED SECURITY SYSTEMS TO MANAGE RISKS AND CREATE A SAFER EXPERIENCE By Sheeladitya Karmakar Honeywell
When it comes to a healthcare facility, there are a lot of moving pieces to manage – especially when it comes to the physical security risks. It’s a complicated task to protect the physical wellbeing of staff and patients, maintain secured wards, as well as prevent property theft or misuse.
With the recent health climate many people are more aware of the less visible risks that exist within healthcare facilities that can impact staff, visitors and patients: infectious diseases and viruses that spread via the air, surfaces or other exposure. Security system technologies can be leveraged to support a healthcare facility’s health and safety procedures, as well as help mitigate or manage potential risks.
8 Ways to Use Security Systems to Make Healthcare Facilities Safer Traditional security systems typically may not be viewed as a go-to solution as part of a strategy to create a healthier building environment compared to cleaning procedures or air quality improvements. When using the right security systems and procedures, security professionals have the ability to support goals in achieving safer and healthier buildings: • Prepare. Validate that the facility meets the latest industry standards as well as any organization- and/or regionspecific safety policies. • Monitor. Examine occupant safety and space usage in real time. • Reduce. Enforce social-distancing and mask-wearing measures. • Respond. Create a way to rapidly react to alerts, changing conditions, and health and safety incidents. • Reassure. Improve staff, visitor and patient confidence. To achieve these goals, integrated security systems can be used to:
1. Deploy an efficient thermal screening process Stationing staff at entrances to take temperatures with a handheld device is not the most efficient use of resources,
and it places staff at a higher risk of exposure. Instead, thermal camera technology at entrances and key access points can pre-screen visitors and patients for elevated temperatures and identify someone who may need further screening. The cameras cannot diagnose or detect a viral infection, but they can facilitate faster assessment for triage use and allow results to be more quickly evaluated, as well as lessen potential exposure to other facility occupants. The thermal cameras can be linked to a security system customized with digital standard operating procedures (SOPs) that trigger workflows and alert security if the camera detects an elevated temperature. If the system flags a patient or visitor, security staff or digital signage can direct the individual to another area of the facility for screening and evaluation by healthcare professionals, or to another facility entirely for testing. If the system flags an employee, the employee can likewise be screened, tested or sent home.
2. Control access For a variety of reasons and especially now during the current health climate, healthcare facilities may want anyone with an elevated temperature or someone who has self-reported certain symptoms to only be given access to specific zones within the facility (or sent home). If the system flags a staff member, it can trigger a digitized incident workflow that locks their access to pre-designated areas. If staff, visitors or patients must be denied entry to certain zones, security staff can receive an alert and use video surveillance to confirm the individual responds as directed or take immediate action if they do not. In addition to main entrances, facilities can use security systems to control access to specific areas — for example, research and development wings, secured wards or zones
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