Securing Healthcare Facilities: Protecting Patients, Staff, and Sensitive Data

Healthcare facilities, including hospitals, clinics, and outpatient facilities, face numerous physical security challenges, from protecting patients, staff, and visitors from harm to safeguarding sensitive areas and deterring unauthorized access to sensitive data. One study by the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety even showed that 71 percent of security directors had reported increased security incidents over the past three years. Another survey revealed that simple assault — when someone either intentionally acts in a threatening, aggressive way or attempts to harm another individual. — has increased significantly in hospitals throughout the country. It rose from 17.7 incidents per 100 beds to 22 incidents. When it comes to securing healthcare environments, mobile security technology can play a critical role. The deployment of camera systems, alarms, lights, and other tools can deter crime and empower hospital workers to act quickly should a threat arise. This blog explains the challenges in healthcare facility security, as well as key security measures that healthcare facilities can adopt to protect staff, patients, and visitors.

Challenges in Healthcare Facility Security

Parking lot security is a crucial part of overall healthcare facility security. Because of the vast size and relative anonymity of parking lots, they are prime locations for criminals looking to rob, assault, and otherwise harm people entering or leaving the hospital, clinic, etc., particularly during the evening hours. The case of Carlie Beaudin is just one of many examples of crimes taking place at healthcare facilities — and the importance of robust security. Carlie Beaudin was a nurse practitioner employed by the Medical College of Wisconsin and Froedtert Hospital. She was beaten and left under a car in the freezing cold by a man in the parking lot of the hospital when she was leaving at the end of her shift. She eventually passed away a few hours later. In addition to violent attacks like the one against Carlie, plenty of other hospital workers, patients, and visitors are victims of burglary and auto theft in parking lots.

Additional Security Challenges

Along with parking lot security, there are many other security challenges that hospitals and other healthcare facilities face, including the following:

• Violence, harassment, etc., between workers
• Abuse from workers to patients
• Trespassing
• Patient wandering

Healthcare facilities are also facing increased risks of data breaches and cyberattacks.

Key Security Measures for Healthcare Facilities

For healthcare facilities — as well as those working in them or visiting them as patients, family members, etc. — a multi-pronged approach to security is critical. The following are some crucial aspects administrators and security professionals should keep in mind when devising a plan for their facility:

Outdoor Security

The first layer of defense for healthcare facilities is a carefully planned outdoor security system. This system starts at the outer perimeters of the hospital, clinic, etc., as well as the parking lot or parking garage.

Cameras

Outdoor cameras surveil the parking lot and the grounds of the hospital or clinic, keeping a close eye on who is coming and going. These cameras can also capture license plate numbers and other important information that can serve as evidence in investigations.

Bright Lighting

Bright lighting plays an integral part in enhancing outdoor security and deterring criminal activity. Installing more lights — and maintaining them regularly to ensure they always allow for maximum visibility — is a simple and effective way to make parking lots, garages, and facility grounds safer. Bright lighting also allows security camera systems to function more effectively. Installing outdoor security cameras throughout the facility grounds will provide peace of mind to visitors, patients, and staff entering and leaving the building.

Indoor Security

Along with robust outdoor security, healthcare facilities must also invest in rigorous indoor security measures. Even the smallest healthcare clinics typically experience high volumes of traffic coming in and out and have valuable assets that must be protected at all times. There are several strategies that facilities can use to improve indoor security, including the following:

Access Control

It shouldn’t be easy for people to enter the inner portions of a hospital or healthcare clinic. Stringent access control using things like keycards or biometric scans helps to manage those coming in and going out and ensures that only authorized personnel can access certain locations.

Security Guards

Security guards can patrol the halls and monitor the entryways/exits of healthcare facilities to further manage who enters the building. The physical presence of security guards, especially combined with other measures, can significantly deter trespassers, thieves, and others.

Panic Buttons

To protect healthcare workers from violence (committed by colleagues, patients, intruders, etc.), consider giving them panic buttons to wear during their shifts. These buttons allow them to call for help with just one push, which can help them feel empowered and ensure they get the support they need as soon as possible.

Alarms

Alarms can alert everyone in the hospital when something goes wrong — be it an unauthorized person entering the facility, a patient wandering, or anything in between — and spurn everyone to take action to correct the problem right away.

Cameras

Cameras don’t just belong on the exterior of the hospital or clinic. They also belong indoors in the lobby, hallways, etc. Strategically placed interior cameras help security personnel monitor what’s happening throughout the facility. Their presence, like the presence of security guards, can also deter criminal acts.

Staff Training in Security Protocols

Investing in cameras, alarms, and additional security measures like those mentioned above is vital to healthcare facilities’ safety. These modalities aren’t truly effective, though, unless they’re paired with comprehensive staff training and carefully detailed protocols for effective incident management. The following are some suggestions for how healthcare clinics, hospitals, and other facilities can level up staff training to maximize the results of their security plans:

Analyze Existing Security Risks

Practical staff training starts with an in-depth analysis of the facility’s existing security risks. For example, managers or other leaders may patrol the grounds and note the lack of lights in the parking lot or the lack of security guards at the front entryway.

Establish Strict Standards

The information gathered from the analysis should be used to establish strict safety standards and protocols. These standards might include rules regarding the number of security guards who must be present at any time or how people are required to check in when they arrive at the hospital for their shift.

Educate on Security Equipment

If employees are expected to use certain types of equipment, such as panic buttons, they should receive sufficient education on when and how to use these tools.

Seek and Respond to Feedback

Some staff may be hesitant to adopt new safety and security policies because of the additional effort they add to their day-to-day workflows. Allowing them to be part of the protocol creation process — and letting them deliver feedback throughout the process — can ensure the changes genuinely help them feel safer at work and aren’t too cumbersome or unrealistic.

What to Look for in Healthcare Facility Security Cameras

Healthcare structures of all kinds and sizes can benefit from high-quality indoor and outdoor security cameras. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind when choosing cameras for a specific facility:

• Number of camera views per unit: Look for at least four camera views per unit to maximize visibility and ensure you can see as much of the property as possible.
• Mobile app access: Mobile apps allow you to view surveillance footage no matter where you’re located or when you want to check-in.
• Live monitoring: When cameras are monitored in real-time by trained security personnel, you can experience added peace of mind and respond more efficiently and effectively when emergencies arise.
• Loudspeaker: Loudspeakers enable you to communicate with people on the scene to find out what’s happening, let an intruder know they’re being watched, etc.
• Thermal cameras: Thermal cameras can help you pick up on changes in temperature and detect fires sooner.

It’s also best to choose a surveillance camera provider that does not require you to agree to long-term contracts or hide fees and charges in the contract’s fine print. Review contracts carefully so you understand precisely what you’re getting into before you sign anything.

Conclusion

A comprehensive security strategy is vital to healthcare facilities to protect patients, staff, and sensitive information. Those who are concerned about patient safety or staff protection should follow the guidelines shared above as a jumping-off point for devising a more robust security plan. If you’re looking for security cameras and additional security technology that can protect your healthcare facility, Mobile Video Guard offers a range of systems and solutions that can help. Get in touch today to learn more or request a free quote.