Optimizing Access Control in Healthcare Settings

Match the solution to the use case, add your expertise, and contribute to more secure facilities.

Considering all the traffic – both human and vehicle – in and around a large hospital, in addition to expensive equipment and various medications, there is a pressing need for access control in healthcare settings. Physical access control systems are used in multiple ways in healthcare, leveraging door locks and controllers, gates, ID badges, and other devices to manage who can enter secure areas and who cannot.

What Comprises a Healthcare Access Control System?

Although access control system components can vary for healthcare, these solutions generally have three parts:

1. The Barrier

This system component can be a locked door, turnstile, gate, or traffic control barrier.

2. The Identifying Device

The solution also needs a way to verify the identity of people authorized to enter. This component may be an RFID card, smart card, or swipe card and reader. Facilities may also choose a PIN pad or a biometric ID scanner. Outdoors, systems can also use number plate recognition to monitor vehicles entering the premises.

3. The Door Controller and Software

The system also needs a way to control door locks, gates, or other barriers. This can be a standalone system at one door or a networked system that controls all entry points throughout the facility.

The Value Healthcare Access Control Systems Provide

Technology solutions providers can leverage their expertise in solutions and the industry to design the best healthcare access control solutions for various use cases, including:

• Managing Visitors

Healthcare access control software can restrict visitors to certain parts of the facility. For example, it could provide an extra layer of security for nursery and pediatric units.  Further, electronic access control will keep unauthorized persons from locations where equipment is used or stored and where medical records are housed. Photo identification can also be added to these systems.

• Enhancing Security

Multi-site facilities or large hospitals with more than one floor need systems to link alarms, fire detection, and security across all areas. Using Internet Protocol (IP) technology, communication and safety are enhanced among various buildings and systems.

• Tracking Employees

Healthcare access control solutions can also integrate with management solutions to track time and attendance, provide a list of employees in certain areas in case of a fire or other incident, and immediately alert teams to intruders. Solutions can be deployed in one area, for example, the unit where the employee works, or scaled to the entire facility, including parking lots and entries.

A Healthcare Access Control Case Study

Derbyshire Mental Health Services NHS Trust’s use of access control illustrates a successful deployment. The facility added CCTV, infrared detectors, and loudspeaker solutions to their 11 sites to address problems with theft, vehicles being burglarized, and other incidents. Access control monitors, proximity readers, and break-glass detectors in an integrated system offer a fast, effective solution that is easy to monitor. As a result, crime at Derbyshire NHS Trust has been virtually eliminated.

Other hospitals and nursing homes are also solving challenges with healthcare access control systems. For example, photo badges reduce paperwork, control costs and reduce errors in calculating staff hours. Biometric fingerprinting facilitates roll calls during emergencies, and smart cards are replacing keypads at entryways, enhancing security. Greater security is even raising morale among staff and patients.

Must-Have Elements of an Effective Healthcare Access Control System

The first step in deploying an access control system is a thorough risk assessment that will help you determine the healthcare facility’s needs and the best way to provide the security level required.

Next, consider regulations the healthcare organization must comply with for security, data protection, and privacy and meet the requirements of laws such as the UK’s Equality Act of 2010.

It’s also essential for technology solutions providers to take the role of a trusted advisor, teaching your clients about their systems, their value, and the urgency to use them correctly.

With the right advice, healthcare access control technology, and careful design for the use case, you’ll provide solutions that keep facilities, assets, staff, and patients safe.