Like any professional organization in any market, healthcare organizations are not immune to the daily business challenges of staffing shortages, resource constraints, shrinking budgets, and rising costs. Combine these trends with the unique dynamics of medical emergencies, life-or-death procedures, and vast amounts of sensitive patient data, and it’s no surprise that healthcare organizations are eager to embrace anything that helps them be more proficient. This includes video surveillance technology, which can facilitate achieve a balance between quality patient care, safety, and overall operational efficiency.
Cameras are now commonly installed in healthcare facilities to meet a myriad of security and surveillance needs. However, it’s not just about installing more cameras, it’s about installing cameras with more diverse features and capabilities. From the emergency room to the operating room, healthcare workers can maintain situational awareness of everything happening in their facility.
Improving patient care and overall safety
By integrating IP pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras and virtual medical platforms, hospitals can perform 24/7 centralized patient monitoring, as well as remote monitoring and observation of various units. Omnidirectional and PTZ technology benefits hospitals looking to fully leverage their security investment. With one device and one data connection, a facility can capture several key areas, such as pharmacies, hallways, or lobbies, with unique fields of view for each.
Hospitals are also supplementing the security monitoring performance of cameras with enhanced data collection capabilities that combine knowledgeable audio/video analytics and artificial intelligence (AI). With customizable analytics zones and event-based alerts, the free video analytics package can reduce false alarms while increasing forensic review efficiency.
The result is targeted object detection and classification that saves hospital security teams time by speeding up forensic searches. When an incident occurs, for example, locating a person of interest can take just minutes, instead of searching through hundreds of camera streams. Adding knowledgeable video and audio analytics helps healthcare facilities reduce costs and ultimately improve patient outcomes through increased overall efficiency.
A Well Dose of Video Analysis
Implementing an appropriate surveillance system can also provide a range of public health and safety benefits. For example, managing facility occupancy is an critical factor in limiting the spread of infections or other health risks. Ensuring that everyone in a facility has enough space to maintain a secure physical distance means hospitals need to know how many people are in their buildings at any given time.
Through video analytics, hospitals can determine how many people are in specific areas, including different departments, the lobby, cafeterias and hallways. When a pre-set threshold is reached in one of these areas, the system can be set to automatically notify security personnel, who can respond by temporarily restricting access.
Create a comprehensive governance strategy
These capabilities provide exact diagnosis to improve patient care, connect with colleagues, monitor sensitive areas, and maintain a secure healthcare environment. Healthcare facilities need surveillance solutions that combine 24/7 protection with the latest advances in AI, analytics, and cloud management. Hardening devices against cybersecurity threats also helps protect patient and data privacy, creating a truly safer environment for all.
Another way hospitals can improve security is by integrating their surveillance system with the most popular VMS applications. This helps improve patient care, keep coworkers connected, monitor sensitive areas, and maintain a secure environment for everyone. With the right combination of surveillance solutions that combine 24/7 protection with the latest advances in artificial intelligence (AI), analytics, and cloud management, hospitals can have peace of mind knowing they are well-protected.
From the smallest regional hospital to the busiest trauma center, video surveillance is playing an increasingly critical role in every healthcare facility, as facilities implement modern surveillance technologies using different types of cameras in a variety of configurations.
Looking ahead, the potential applications for security cameras in healthcare settings are endless. Being proactive and quickly identifying suspicious individuals entering a facility allows security personnel to respond before an incident occurs. Cameras with remote monitoring capabilities can also reduce the risk of a patient falling and sustaining an injury. Hospitals can strengthen compliance and reduce the risk of errors by overseeing surgical procedures. Throughout these changes, one constant will remain: increased safety for patients, families, and staff.
For more information, please visit hanwhavisionamerica.com/healthcare.