As violence against physicians and nurses continues to rise, the need for additional security measures has become more urgent.
With staff retention top of mind, hospital leaders want effective ways to increase workplace safety without compromising patient care.
During a Becker's Hospital Review webinar sponsored by Flock Safety, Garrett Langley, founder and CEO of Flock Safety, discussed how hospitals can expand security measures beyond the confines of their medical buildings. He explained how to create a virtual perimeter around hospital campuses to proactively detect and address potential threats before individuals reach the hospital entrance.
Four key takeaways were:
- Workplace violence in hospitals is a growing problem, causing healthcare workers to feel unsafe. According to Mr. Langley, 80 percent of all reported workplace violence in the U.S. is perpetrated against healthcare workers. In a 2021 survey by the American Nurses Association, only 20 percent of nurses reported that they felt safe at work.
Mr. Langley said the three most common workplace violence dangers are verbally violent patients who threaten physicians or other staff members; partners of nurses who may have restraining orders for domestic abuse issues; and angry terminated employees. "We want to prevent something from happening before it happens," he said.
- Flock Safety enables hospitals to spot potential threats before they enter the building. "By using a special type of camera that accurately reads license plates, hospitals can create a virtual security perimeter around their campus," Mr. Langley said. "The system allows us to tactically track every car that enters and exits the campus."
For example, if a patient is threatening a doctor or a nurse's partner has a restraining order, those individuals and their license plates can be added to a custom hot list. "If those individuals ever come onto hospital property, security can be notified in real time and prevent them from entering the building," he said.
- Rapid gunshot detection technology can save lives in an active shooter situation. Flock Safety's infrastructure-free solution includes an audio detection device that allows security professionals to detect gunshots. "The fact of the matter is that more often than not, the first shot in an active shooter situation happens in the parking lot," Mr. Langley said. "With this technology deployed in your parking lot, your security team can perform a lockdown before the shooter ever comes into the building, thus saving lives."
- An integrated ecosystem makes it easy to share information between different hospital locations as well as with local law enforcement. "Hospitals can choose to share their cameras with local law enforcement," Mr. Langley said. "As a result, if any stolen car or any car with a felony warrant attached to it enters your campus, Flock Safety's system automatically notifies the nearest officers."
In one real-life example, a known felon who would pose as a nurse to kidnap newborn babies from maternity wards was on several hospitals' hot lists and was subsequently apprehended.
This integration also allows hospitals to conduct a multi-site analysis. "For example, you could create an alert for an individual who visits all of your properties in one day, which is unusual and potentially suspicious," he added.
Hospitals leaders are striving to create the safest possible environment for patients, doctors and staff. To create a safer environment, leaders can take advantage of machine learning-driven security systems, such as those provided by Flock Safety. Not only can this technology reduce workplace violence, but it can also help hospitals attract and retain high-demand healthcare workers and improve their reputations within their communities.
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