Today, perhaps more than ever before, security is one of healthcare’s key infrastructure needs. The security requirements of an acute-care hospital, ambulatory diagnostic clinic, or other major healthcare facility are more critical, specialized and diverse than most other buildings.
Hospital security departments must provide a safe environment for patients, staff and visitors, while making the hospital accessible to the community it serves 24 hours a day. The perimeter of the complex must be secured while permitting the sick and injured to enter at any hour. Patients, staff and visitors must be protected from potential harm.
Hospital property, which includes items such as confidential medical records and patient-sensitive data must be secured. Should a dangerous situation arise, specific standard operating procedures must be taken promptly and without hesitation, such as the evacuation of certain departments or locking down zones of the hospital. Special attention is needed for uneasy, scared and stressed patients and family members. Technical problems must be spotted immediately and brought to the appropriate staff so that the right actions can be taken. The success and correct handling of all of these conditions depend on people, policy, procedures and non-electronic measures as well as electronic products, systems and services.
The four basic components of the Siemens Security Solution Set are:
Evaluation: To assess current security measures and develop an integrated hospital system infrastructure and security technology roadmap.
Security Systems: To build a security system infrastructure
Security System Information Management: To provide advanced data management and information analysis capabilities for Joint Commission accreditation and regulatory purposes, incident investigations and alarm monitoring and notification.
Security Services: To maintain operations and the established state of control and continuously look for improvement measures.
These four components work together to form a progression from initial needs analysis and executed master plan to ongoing support and suggestions for continuous improvements. The right mix of products is essential to mitigate risks in security sensitive areas.