Home Video Surveillance Healthcare Facilities

Video Surveillance: Healthcare Facilities

Hospitals and other healthcare facilities are prime examples of an industry where video surveillance is essential. By their very nature, hospitals are emotionally charged, volatile environments where security is a key concern. Hospitals have many risks and threats that need to be considered when coming up with a security solution. These may include:

Psychiatric Patients – patients whose mental stability is compromised may sometimes present threats to doctors and the general hospital population. These patients are often placed in a ward that is physically separate from other hospital wards, but more comprehensive security systems are sometimes more necessary.

Prison Wards – in many cases, criminals are injured during their apprehension and require medical attention. Hospitals set aside special rooms in a prison ward, where criminals may recover before being tried. Police officers usually supervise a criminal’s recovery, and the apprehended is usually handcuffed or otherwise bound to their hospital bed. However, many hospitals are overcrowded and must placed injured prisoners or criminals among ordinary patients, which allows them to escape. This possibility poses great danger for the general hospital population. Video surveillance is one possibility for keeping this volatile prison population under greater scrutiny.

Patients – confused patients on large amounts of drugs, upset about their health, or who need treatment for substance addictions are prone to exhibit violent and dangerous behaviors, putting doctors, other patients, and their families in danger.

Families and Friends – bad news is often hoisted unexpectedly upon families and friends of patients, especially in sudden emergency situations. Often ill equipped to deal with large amounts of grief and sadness, family and friends of patients may lash out against hospital staff.

These different threats are among the concerns a hospital must take into consideration when devising a security system. Hospitals and other healthcare facilities must have comprehensive security systems composed of different security tools working together to maximize the safety of patients, employees and visitors. Hospitals are well-versed in access control security systems – most hospitals have strict visiting hours set to allow for patients to rest properly. Visiting hours also prevent random people from entering the hospital during strange hours. Another form of access control utilized by hospitals is a key pad system for entry into intensive care units, maternity wards and other places where patient safety is integral. Video security cameras, physical security and metal detectors are other security options that many hospitals use. Security systems vary hospital by hospital, depending on policy and need.

Video surveillance cameras are a tool that can be extremely beneficial to hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Aside from keeping patients, doctors and visitors safe, video security cameras or CCTV systems can help monitor patients whose mobility and activities must be limited. For example, in many senior care facilities, patients with Alzheimer’s disease often have difficulties remembering where they are, and left to their own devices, can wander around outside into dangerous situations, putting themselves in peril. Many facilities have restricted this through access control – installing keypads on doors to special wings which contain special patients. However, the addition of CCTV cameras and video surveillance allows for greater scrutiny of patients, keeping them from hurting themselves by wandering off too far. This application could also work in quarantine situations, where patients that are infectious are confined to a certain area, or in facilities for drug and alcohol treatment.

Video surveillance cameras with video analytics capabilities represent a new level of security available to hospitals and healthcare facilities. Video analytics cameras are able to independently recognize features and behaviors that represent security issues. This ability makes security systems much more efficient, allowing security guards to perform patrols or other duties instead of watching security monitors for hours at a time.

How many people are in your organization? Less than 100 101-500 More than 500

En Espanol

$875 SYSTEM SPECIAL

Photo ID Systems

Choose from a Complete System below, or fill out the Needs Analysis so we can design a system for you.

	Starter Photo ID System
	Basic Single-Feed ID System
	Basic Photo ID System
	Entry Photo ID System
	Standard Photo ID System
	Secure Holokote System
	Premium Photo ID System
	Basic Duplex ID System
	Standard Duplex ID System
	Premium Duplex ID System
	High Production ID System

AlphaCard is Hiring

Call us at 1-800-717-8080 or complete the Needs Analysis Form to get exactly what you need!

ID Card Catalog · News on ID Cards, ID Badges and Photo ID Systems · ID Card Forums · ID Card Blog · Support · Search
Site Map · Employment · Press · Contact Us · About Us · Returns Policy · Photo ID Card Solutions · Security Systems

© 1998-2008 Alpha Card Systems. All rights reserved.