Implementing physical security in healthcare facilities has always been paramount to keep patients and professionals, alike, safe and sound.

In fact, studies have shown that healthcare workers are four to five times more likely to be victims of aggravated assault than in the private sector, a statistic that has undoubtedly only been heightened in the wake of the pandemic’s stress and uncertainty.

Thorough security measures not only help to protect doctors and nurses from irate and abusive patients, but they also significantly reduce the opportunity for intrusion, inside theft, and vandalism.

Seamless physical and technological security in healthcare remains the key to optimizing efficiencies in the nation’s hospitals and doctor’s offices. Medical practices looking to improve their security standing should take these four steps for success.

  • Integrate surveillance with access control: While mask mandates have begun to be lifted in certain parts of the country as the most recent surge subsides, facial recognition software has proved no less valuable in safeguarding waiting rooms and their most vulnerable patients from exposure. It’s integration like this – the perfect marriage of access control and video surveillance – that will continue to serve medical facilities well in the future.

Consider the following:

  • Physical security in healthcare can be imperative in diffusing violent or aggressive encounters between staff and disgruntled patients – and often may prevent them outright. Live video surveillance feeds help nurses to cater to patient needs quickly and efficiently, while empowering security personnel with the ability to identify and address potential risks. Remote monitoring solutions, too, keep a keen eye out for suspicious activity – and immediately alert on-site staff to potential danger.
  • Busy waiting rooms can be challenging to monitor consistently – at least with human eyes – making unauthorized access by a criminal or disruptive element all too easy. But access control systems outfitted with electronic locks and personalized credentials can help to mitigate these dangers almost entirely. Biometric technology, too, can offer next-level protection for medical assets such as patient files and/or pharmaceuticals and narcotics.
  • When implemented properly, noise detection sensors can alert medical personnel to breaking glass, breached entries, and even gunshots.
  • Leverage the power of the cloud: Managing and maintaining medical-related video files is quick, easy, and – most importantly – scalable when using cloud-based surveillance solutions. Medical facilities can now store footage on encrypted hard drives for safekeeping from duplicitous hackers and cyberattacks, then access video instantaneously, at any time, and from virtually any place via an intuitive user interface from any Internet-connected device.
  • Keep your staff in the loop: It may sound cliched, but state-of-the-art security measures are only as effective as the employees charged with implementing them, which is why routine training is so important to ensure that your safeguards are firing on all cylinders.
  • Exercise caution when hiring: The healthcare profession has notoriously been short on good help in recent years, and this dearth of talent not only impacts recruitment – but could potentially lead to security risks, as well. While providers are subject to rigorous and meticulous background checks and other protocols, some studies have shown that a sizeable gap in trained IT personnel opens up healthcare organizations to cyberattacks, hacks, and more. Meticulous recruiting in this arena remains your first and best line of defense.

Secom will help you take advantage of integrated access control and surveillance systems that maximize your medical facility’s in-house resources. Our team excels at designing and installing physical security for healthcare facilities. Contact us today to learn more.