Safety and security are of paramount importance when it comes to healthcare facilities. Healthcare facilities require special surveillance and security measures that safeguard the safety of staff, visitors and, most importantly, the patient himself. All these need to be done while maintaining the highest degree of patient privacy.

But these healthcare facilities are facing constant pressure because of high management costs and round-the-clock visitor traffic. Also, 24 hours access to multiple buildings and emergency departments in a healthcare facility creates the need to secure patient safety.

Also, the requirement of maintaining patient confidentiality and satisfaction scores and governmental and accreditation standards must be held simultaneously. All these require robust access control systems in healthcare facilities.

Moreover, to prevent unwanted people from gaining access to sensitive areas like an emergency, intensive care unit, or maternity ward, asset protection is also essential. As some assets, like medical supplies and some prescription medications, are prone to theft, they must be protected appropriately by a proper access system.

However, the access control systems must allow accredited staff to access all these restricted places simultaneously.

Best practices and access control systems.

Below are some of the best practices and access control systems which, if installed, enhance overall security more significantly.

  • Classify or distinguish a particular area that needs to be secure or protected from the general public. A keen knowledge of the restricted area should be the primary measure one should take while setting hospital security standards.
  • A focused security walk to the entire hospital will give you a rough idea of which type of security access system will suit the needs of your hospital.
  • The installation of RFID access control readers can allow people to access the place with the help of their smartphones. Here, your smartphone will be your credentials and act as an access card. This will eliminate the need for an access card and be faster and more convenient for the user.
  • Your access control system should include a fire alarm monitor as its absence can be the reason for the future hazard of a fire emergency.
  • Access control technology comes in a lot of variety that sometimes a large healthcare campus might need to mix and match to meet its requirement. So always choose the correct access system that meets your needs.

Some other best access systems-

  • Employ key cards, badges and fobs technology into practice that will allow the authorized personnel to tap, wave, or swipe their card at a card reader for access.
  • Using biometrics as a technology can be friendlier and more convenient for the user. This advanced security technology makes it obligatory for users to use their iris scan, fingerprint, or facial authentication to gain access to restricted places. All these combines to give biometrics a robust mechanism for securing an unwanted permit in healthcare facilities.
  • In the aftermath of covid-19, hospitals need to make possible arrangements to reduce the number of touchpoints that will help prevent the spread of any virus or disease. And of the best way to reduce the touchpoints is to install facial recognition technology in a hospital. This technology can even detect the person not wearing a mask and can also issue a warning in such instances. And if integrated with a thermal camera, this technology can even eliminate the person with high temperatures.

Safety and security are of paramount importance when it comes to healthcare facilities. Therefore, a proper access system should be placed into practice to ensure patient, staff, and visitors’ safety.

The article has been published by the editorial board of the Identity Herald. For more

information please visit www.identityherald.com