How Hospital Security Cameras Are Enhancing Patient Monitoring and Safety

Hospitals – and the healthcare industry – have always been at the forefront of innovation. Similar to advances in medical treatment, hospital security cameras have seen plenty of advancements and new features in the last decade alone. 

In response, hospitals are using cutting-edge technology to build comprehensive surveillance strategies to improve patient safety, increase the quality of care, and reduce risks across the board. This includes (but is not limited to):

• General security practices 
• Prevention of medical malpractice
• Patient monitoring 
• Protection against legal action
• Policy enforcement 

In this post, we discuss how security cameras in hospitals are being used to raise the standard of healthcare operations. Let’s get into it. 

Table of Content

1. Identifies Potential Risks in Patient Safety 
2. Maintain HIPAA Compliance 
   1. Implement Access Control
   2. Use Audit Logs
3. Leverage End to End Encryption
4. Protect Patient Confidentiality
5. Help Security Guards Be More Effective

Identifies Potential Risks in Patient Safety 

A robust hospital security system can do a lot to spot potential risks within the facility and help leadership take proper action – before an incident occurs. 

Today’s hospital security cameras can be programmed to detect anomalies in everyday procedures and provide reports to guide staff in providing the right remedy – and track events with video analytics. For example, this could include the detection of:

• Unusual movements within the facility 
• If doors are left ajar
• Patient movement in prohibited areas 
• Risky situations by hospital staff 

Modern hospital security cameras will send alerts if unusual motions are detected. Staff and leadership can quickly mitigate the situation before damage is done – and most importantly – fine-tune procedures to avoid future incidents. 

Some of the most ideal places to install hospital security cameras are:

• Entrances and exits 
• Emergency rooms 
• Controlled substance storage rooms
• Elevators
• Fire escapes 
• Restricted areas 
• Equipment rooms/closets 

Now, no healthcare facility is perfect; mistakes are going to happen. Even with robust hospital security solutions in place, it’s important to have reliable mitigation procedures in place to ensure a smooth incident response. Intervention tactics will vary based on the risk severity – and staff needs to have resources in place to manage risks proactively. 

 In other words, hospital security cameras help staff spot and eliminate risk factors before they lead to bigger problems – like a lawsuit or HIPAA violation. 

Maintain HIPAA Compliance 

HIPAA – the U.S Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act – requires healthcare facilities that deal with patient health information to maintain a level of privacy to preserve patient confidentiality. 

Violations can result in hefty fines and other legal consequences for medical facilities. Video surveillance in hospitals can do a lot to avoid HIPAA violations. 

Now, HIPAA compliance has several key challenges – as some regulations discourage the use of cameras in healthcare facilities. 

Some of the biggest concerns include:

• Cameras in areas where patients are entitled to privacy (examination rooms, bathrooms, etc.).
• Failure to perform frequent assessments of hospital security solutions.
• Improper staff training on security and privacy policies. 

If implemented properly, hospital video surveillance systems can improve HIPAA compliance in a few ways:

1. Implement Access Control

Leadership and administrators must have control over who may access cameras across the facility. This ensures there are defined levels of clearance for handling footage. 

2. Use Audit Logs 

Administrators can track user logins and permissions by keeping detailed records of all activities within the patient video monitoring system. By doing so, they can keep unauthorized personnel from accessing private data. 

Leverage End to End Encryption

All personal health information needs to be encrypted with the latest technology. This feature must be a core component in all hospital security solutions. 

HIPAA compliance can be confusing, especially when upgrading your hospital security cameras. Get in touch with a professional commercial video surveillance provider to determine the best solution for you.  

Protect Patient Confidentiality 

To expand on HIPAA compliance, general patient confidentiality is a sizable concern in hospitals. Inadequate training and outdated security systems are among the biggest challenges in the industry. 

Upgrading hospital security cameras is a prime opportunity to revisit confidentiality protocols and ensure mishaps can be avoided.  

Incorporating smart hospital security solutions must be paired with proper education for employees. Failing to do so can lead to fines – and potentially a lawsuit. At the bare minimum, protecting patient privacy within a security and surveillance system requires: 

• Education on HIPAA compliance 
• Patient rights 
• Potential scenarios that may lead to violations 
• Hospital employee sanctions

In addition to staff training, leadership – with the help of specialized technicians – needs to conduct regular assessments of hospital security cameras, access control, and daily procedures to ensure patient confidentiality remains the top priority. 

Help Security Guards Be More Effective

Security guards have always been (and always will be) the core components of all hospital security systems. Guards are trained to provide fast responses to security events that pose a risk to staff and patients. 

However, there are only so many guards on staff – and most hospitals are sprawling complexes. Advanced hospital security cameras can help guards do their jobs more efficiently. 

For example, cameras will detect anomalies in everyday operations and send alerts to administrators. From here, the admin can determine the severity of the issue and decide if sending security guards is necessary. 

Hospital security cameras are also integral in training procedures. Guards should be educated on what an urgent security risk looks like on camera and how to take proper action. Cameras these days offer much more than just surveillance – they are key tools to help facilities work smarter and more efficiently. 

Bringing It All Together 

Hospital security solutions these days are multi-faceted. If used properly, they can help healthcare facilities improve patient safety, avoid risks that may lead to fines, and streamline the way staff can do their jobs. 

Choosing the right hospital security cameras and systems is not apples-to-apples. Each facility is unique and requires a setup that fits like a glove. To achieve the best results, hospitals should partner with a professional security and surveillance provider to make sure the investment is maximized. 

2 Krew Security and Surveillance has been providing next-gen security systems to healthcare facilities in Pittsburgh and the Tri-State area for nearly two decades.  If you are looking to upgrade your hospital security solutions, reach out to our knowledgeable team today. 

Call our office at 724.543.0274, send an email to hello@2krew.com, or message us online.