Hospitals and health care centers strive to maintain safety, sanitation and a friendly demeanor with their visitors and patients every day. From keeping appropriate bedside manner to safely monitoring visitors who enter and exit the building, hospital staff have their hands full. Large hospitals and emergency centers can welcome as many as 1,200 visitors per day! What are the ways these facilities maintain health and safety?
There are 3 main ways that a healthcare badging system can effectively manage security, sanitation and professionalism:
Most clinics and healthcare centers have adopted some form of badging system that helps keep patients, staff and visitors safe, not only from the threat of violence but also from the spread of illnesses. First, doctors, nurses, security guards and other staff members wear color coded badges and lanyards. This way it is easy to immediately identify qualifications in emergency situations. These color codes also help maintain security within hospitals because they are more difficult to fake or duplicate.
According to statistics, 75% of all workplace assaults between 2011 and 2013 happened in the healthcare field, and much of the violence was directed at nurses. It is also said that the statistics are inaccurate, because much of hospital violence goes unreported. Some of this violence cannot be prevented because it comes from patients who are in volatile states or at a cognitive disadvantage. However, the threat of violence that comes from visitors and outside sources should be reduced, and badging systems can aid in the effort to protect healthcare staff.
Badge systems for hospital staff often include color codes, which are easy to identify from a distance. However, many healthcare centers have adopted smart badge systems for their staff. These types of ID cards have a memory chip that securely stores data, and allows them to enter secure areas of hospitals. Not only does this keep multiple entry points of the building secure, it also helps protect sensitive information like patient records.
Hospitals must also maintain cleanliness and prevent the spread of illnesses. With as many as 1,200 visitors coming and going from some hospitals, it can be difficult to maintain safety and sanitation. Temporary badges for visitors have helped healthcare providers maintain efficiency and security. For larger hospitals, blank badges can be used once and then recycled. The visitor’s name and information can be printed onto a sticker and applied to the disposable plastic card. Once the visitor leaves, they throw the badge away and it is recycled. This cuts down on the time staff members would normally use to check visitors in and out. It also helps prevent germs from being spread.
For smaller clinics and centers, color coded visitor badges can be used. These visitor name tags can be re-ordered every 3 months (or at other intervals) to prevent theft and falsification. Smaller healthcare centers can sanitize these badges each day to prevent the spread of illness from patient to visitor. Each time the badges are re-ordered, they can be customized with a specific number, code or date. This makes it more difficult for the badges to be stolen and re-used.
Lastly, hospitals must maintain a friendly and healthy relationship with patients and visitors. As stated earlier, much of the violence against doctors and nurses goes unreported. That is because healthcare professionals care about their patients and don’t want to make them the enemy. Badging systems and other security measures can help doctors and nurses maintain a friendly demeanor. If the hospital adopts an effective security system that includes ID badges for everyone on campus, then healthcare professionals can focus on providing quality healthcare.
The 3 main aspects of hospital security include:
– Ensuring that only authorized individuals are on campus
– Keeping sensitive data secure (file rooms that contain patient records)
– Processing visitors who come and go
Badge systems help maintain security and cleanliness by:
– Identifying every person on campus, including staff & guests
– Allowing access to secure areas to only authorized staff with the use of smart cards
– Requiring that guests prove who they are and to wear approved visitor badges while on campus
NameTagWizard.com offers quick turn-around on campus ID badges for hospitals, schools and businesses. These cards can be fully customized to include photos, logos, QR codes, bar codes and custom text. If you’re in the healthcare field, or any industry that requires security, these custom ID cards can be the first step to creating a safer work environment.
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Sources:
https://insights.identicard.com/blog/effective-hospital-security-system-hospital-visitor-management-access-control-solutions
https://www.advantidge.com/id-badge-printer-support/learning-center/industry-solutions/healthcare-and-hospitals/
https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2016/05/03/nearly-75-percent-of-all-workplace-assaults-happen-in-health-care
https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2016/12/07/violence-against-nurses
https://www.visitorpasssolutions.com/Blog/A-busy-hospital-lobby-balances-security-health-and-efficiency/
