Workplace Safety Concerns in Healthcare Facilities

Safety and well-being are top of mind, especially in a healthcare setting. For providers and staff, this is also a workplace safety concern. The nurses, doctors, administrators, and staff within hospitals and other healthcare settings work tirelessly to keep us healthy and safe. Still, they can only be effective at what they do when they feel secure in their workplace. That means hospital administrators must think holistically to protect people and their facilities.

Using security cameras and video management software (VMS) in hospitals can be an impactful combination of processes that create a reliable and secure surveillance program. So, let’s consider a range of security issues a hospital can face daily and see how a VMS like Milestone Systems XProtect® can address them head-on.

Safety for All Who Enter

Threat detection previously consisted of cameras streaming live video to security personnel — monitoring every minute of every day. The technology was adequate, but it still relied on some luck. In this scenario, surveillance depends on a security officer spotting an incident in the split second it happens and launching a swift response before it is too late. On the other hand, if the security operator takes their eyes off the monitors for a few seconds, they could miss an incident completely.

Today, surveillance is still about monitoring and recording people and places for safety and security. However, Milestone Systems’ technology uses video, audio, two-way communication, and an integrated range of IoT sensors and security software to provide more information and evidence for security personnel. Here are just a few of the types of services that the XProtect open platform VMS can provide hospitals to maximize their security systems:

• License Plate Recognition (LPR) helps identify specific vehicles in a database.
• Sound detection identifies screams, broken glass, and other sounds, including spoken key phrases, alerting staff if someone says a registered word, like “help” or “call 9-1-1.”
• Gunshot detection pinpoints the sound of gunfire and a possible location to assist first responders.
• Weapons detection leverages computer vision to identify potential weapons from camera images, providing early alerts to security operators when a gun is displayed.
• Video analytics use algorithms to evaluate video based on data captured, applying intelligence algorithms to determine behaviors or specific objects detected, including: line crossing, people counting, objects left behind, and slip/fall detection.
• Intrusion alarms sync with infrared sensors to alert staff if someone enters an unauthorized area.

Milestone offers a broad range of features and applications to help security teams maximize their effectiveness in keeping their facility secure. Not only does XProtect record these events and alert staff, but it also stores this data, helping security staff build evidence and reduce the risk of litigation.

Safety on the Inside

Milestone XProtect® Hospital Assist helps medical staff remotely observe patients while reducing the required face-to-face interaction. Plus, nursing staff can better care for patients with the help of XProtect Hospital Assist and its ability to alert staff if a patient is in distress or falls out of bed.

With Milestone XProtect, your security systems can play an active role in the critical, patient-centric functions of the hospital staff. Access control systems allow only authorized staff to enter restricted hospital areas while keeping the space and assets secure and out of the wrong hands. In addition, with identity management and intrusion systems, XProtect can protect operating rooms, pharmacies, medical supplies, and expensive equipment from unauthorized access.