According to security firm IntelliCentrics, about 30 percent of hospitals do not have some kind of formal check-in process for patients' visitors.
For those that have a process in place, approaches vary considerably, says Greg Goyne, vice president of marketing at IntelliCentrics. "Some have a sign-in sheet, some have the person show I.D., some have video cameras recording, but it's really all over the board," he says, and may leave patients vulnerable to unwanted or unsafe visitors.
At most hospitals, the patient visitor check-in process is not as advanced as the vendor credentialing process, says Mr. Goyne. This is likely due to regulatory bodies mandating vendors who enter a hospital, especially those who visit sensitive areas, be properly vetted. However, fewer regulations govern patient visitor credentialing, and hospitals may be hesitant to impose more rules on often-distressed family members.
"It's hard to argue there's a need to identify everyone in the hospital and make sure they're going to the appropriate place, but it's also a much more emotional situation with visitors," says Mr. Goyne. "Some hospitals are hesitant to risk patient satisfaction by asking visitors for anything beyond a basic I.D. However, if they thought about it objectively, they'd come to the conclusion they should be asking for at least some basic information, like whether or not a visitor has had a flu shot."
Mr. Goyne believes technology can make more thorough visitor credentialing easier on both visitors and hospital staff. "Technology can take the burden off of administration. For example, people planning to visit a family member in the hospital could submit their I.D. documents electronically ahead of time, and then just show the badge on their phone," he says.
However, he would remind hospitals and health systems that the technology or check-in processes in place are only as effective as the hospital employees implementing them. He cites Boston Medical Center, The Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha and Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare as examples of organizations where leadership has created a culture of vigilance around visitor security.
"At these places, they've engaged and operationalized their staff so everyone in the hospital is looking for [visitors'] badges," he says. "If they see someone without I.D., they stop them and direct them to a kiosk to sign in."
Better check-in processes and systems can have a positive impact on patient safety, but they require executive leadership. "Safety begins in the boardroom — you need that leadership from the C-suite to make these tools as effective as possible," says Mr. Goyne.
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