Integration of systems, mass notification and access control are keys to safe and cost-effective health care environments.
For today’s hospitals and healthcare facilities, the cost of safety -- for people, property and information -- is an increasing concern. Every facility needs reliable life-safety systems in place, from fire protection and security to intrusion monitoring and access control.
Add to those conventional life-safety systems the emergence of mass notification solutions, unforeseen regulatory burdens, and the proliferation of information management technology. The complexity and cost of it all, especially if implemented and maintained in a piece-meal fashion, can seem staggering to fiscally strapped hospitals.
Today, healthcare administrators are looking for new and innovative ways to alleviate these economic pressures, while at the same time creating the safest possible environment for patients and caregivers alike.
Integration: Well-rounded Safety and Security
Interoperability, or integration, of systems and departments is a key strategy. Where many hospitals today have different people monitoring segregated events, an integration strategy allows them to consolidate monitoring personnel, providing a source of financial savings. Resources are better utilized because one person can successfully do the work of many. Life safety, fire and code blue alarms can be tied together so they are annunciated through the fire system, while security alarms come through the security system. All can be viewed at a single command center.
One of the major advantages of having all the systems on one integrated line is that hospitals can prioritize. They can design a priority list of each event that occurs, so if a fire system is set off, it’s designated as a number one priority. If it's a code blue system, it's a number two priority, and if a technician takes a smoke detector offline, it's a lower priority.
Integration of life-safety systems has also enabled the hospital to move the switchboard to different places in the hospital. Wherever there is a PC and a phone line, a command center can be set up should an area close down or if there's a disaster. Hospitals can quickly move the switchboard operator anywhere without disrupting the flow of operations.
Mass Notification: In Case of Emergency
In the wake of Katrina, 9/11 and other disasters, another important communications solution is now gaining traction with healthcare safety experts -- mass notification.
In hospitals, it has subtle but significant differences in execution from other industries. Unlike evacuations in commercial buildings and campus environments, hospital evacuations due to fire or other emergencies must be handled without the shrill alarms and potential for confusion. Patient safety depends upon the right people doing the right things at the right time for those in the most vulnerable positions.
An electronic readerboard with displays containing text-driven messaging, for example, is among many innovative solutions adapted to the healthcare environment. Placed strategically in the facility, the messaging -- automated pre-recorded alerts or ‘live’ messages -- can be out of sight from patients and visitors but plainly visible to hospital personnel. Should an event occur, the right people are “in the know” and can control the appropriate response and avoid panic.
Mass notification systems can be custom designed and scaled to any facility -- and then implemented in stages, as needs require and budgets allow.
Access Control: Authorized Personnel Only
Hospitals present a demanding environment in terms of controlling access. Along with protecting valuable equipment and data from would-be thieves, today's access control systems must be able to monitor access to restricted areas, secure hazardous materials, protect the storage of sensitive information, generate management reports and, in general, enhance the capabilities of the security department while providing overall cost reductions.
In today’s world, access control is a cornerstone of hospital safety -- whether protecting infants and the elderly, or everyone in between. By partnering with a proven world-class provider, security managers can stay abreast of the latest technology that will provide effective facility safety and life protection -- as well as investment protection for years ahead.
