From time to time, healthcare facilities are subject to violence and other security risks. This note provides four useful tips on improving security in healthcare.
Healthcare facilities are tasked with treating patients and saving lives. Yet from time to time, these facilities are subject to violence and other security risks. Securing
healthcare facilities therefore is of paramount importance. This note provides four useful tips on improving security in healthcare.
Adopt a layered approach to security
Healthcare facilities are faced with various security challenges. These include cyber breaches, workplace violence, internal and external theft, illegal parking and baby abduction. To this, Mark Evans, Executive VP of Sielox, said at a recent webinar held by Virtual Security Showcase that healthcare facilities can rely on a variety of security technologies such as paging systems, mass notification, video, metal detectors and panic buttons. However, Evans argues that each of these technology alone is insufficient; rather, layering these technologies to make them work effectively as a whole is key.
“Everyone agrees that it’s not just one technology: it’s not just the cameras, it’s not just access control, it’s not just emergency communication – its all of these that you want to leverage together to provide a layer-by-layer solution that builds up more containment at the perimeter, as you work yourself through the building, and to be able to lock down and provide that information to the people onsite,” Evans said.
Consider key control
Key control can serve as a key function in healthcare security. This is amid reports of rampant theft on medicine and medical equipment. Research by Purdue University and University of Connecticut, for example, points out that there were 107 drug theft reports from 104 long-term care facilities between 2013 and 2021, and a total of 11,328 tablets, mostly opioids, were stolen from 368 residents. These issues can be addressed with effective key control and asset management technology, said Tim Purpura, VP of Global Sales and Marketing at Morse Watchmans, during the webinar.
“Key control and asset management locker systems are the ‘extra set of hands’ to protect keys to medical equipment and storage areas, pharmaceutical storage areas, and personal belongings. Recording key and asset transaction ensures staff accountability and protects against unauthorized access,” Purpura said. “Our KeyWatcher Touch product line provides access control and asset management and is ideal for hospitals and long-term care facilities.”
Maintain good cyber hygiene and identity management
Cybersecurity issues have become a main concern for healthcare facilities, where private, confidential medical records and data are held. That said, good cybersecurity practices are needed to keep them private and confidential. To this, John Gallagher, VP of Viakoo Labs, mentions the “cyber hygiene trifecta” – keeping firmware updated, certificates managed and passwords managed. He adds that automating these processes would be beneficial for a variety of sectors, including healthcare.
“With automation, maintenance can be streamlined and made cost-effective, and automated cyber hygiene is urgently needed to stop cyber criminals,” Gallagher said. “We’ve done extensive studies with customers in healthcare, where the number of firmware updates they had to do manually versus using automation, the cost savings – it pays back literally within weeks.”
Identity management – making sure that the right person has the right access to the right area – also plays a key role in healthcare security. According to Kyle Elliott, VP of Sales at Vector Flow, today’s healthcare facilities are faced with various identity management-related challenges including: manual and cumbersome photo capture/badging, constant physical access change, inconsistent visitor management experience, and lack of systems integration.
“To this, healthcare facilities need solutions to simplify managing contingent workers and employee access with AI-enhanced and real-time performance; provide self-service to workers for changing access request; simplify credentialing process, rebadging, and certification requirements; and integrate data systems and sources with ease,” Elliott said, adding that automation, too, is key to all this. He mentions Vector Flow’s physical identity and access management solution allows automated on-boarding and off-boarding, and automates the following: photo capture, badging/remote printing, birthright access, access control right, and access changes based on profile changes.
Effective power management can’t be overlooked
Indeed, electronic access control and cybersecurity/identity management solutions are critical for healthcare facilities. But none of them will work effectively if power supply becomes an issue. A good solution that ensures access and power integration, then, is vital. “Access and power integration entails securing doors in facilities for patients, staff and visitors, and protecting critical areas such as storage, supply rooms and treatment areas,” said Ronnie Pennington, Director of Sales for the Americas at Altronix, adding the company has solutions in this regard. “Altronix Trove Series easily combines power distribution with controllers from the leading access brands; supports multiple doors from a single enclosure; simplify deployment, service and maintenance; features scalable design in wall and rack mount configuration and allows remote network power management options for offsite monitoring.”