The basis of every visitor management system is the desire to keep a site and its personnel safe from harm.
While it’s true that there are common threads between site safety at all kinds of workplaces, there are unique aspects of healthcare facilities that make the need for hospital Visitor Management more pressing.
It’s important to note that even among hospitals and medical centers there are going to be huge differences in safety needs. For example, an emergency room in rural Kansas is going to have different security concerns than an emergency room in the heart of New York City.
However, healthcare facilities, by nature, share several common traits that make visitor management extremely important.
1. Hospitals serve a vulnerable population, making security essential
Whether it’s patients who are recovering from illness, visitors who are feeling emotional turmoil over a sick loved one, or employees who are feeling the effects of a stressful day, the people inside a hospital can be very vulnerable.
This vulnerability can make it difficult for them to react in the case of an emergency, making emergency preparation and prevention even more vital.
The best way to keep your vulnerable population safe is to take steps to keep threats at bay, which includes installing a comprehensive visitor management system to deter nefarious characters and prevent incidents.
2. Sprawling hospital campuses equate to multiple points of entry
Today’s bustling medical centers are closer to college campuses than single-building operations. A major medical center is likely to sprawl over the area of a few city blocks, housing all kinds of facilities: urgent care centers, medical offices, testing laboratories and more.
Each part of these campuses comes with its own entrances and exits, creating a web of entry points to monitor.
If your campus buildings are connected, your security check-in process is only as strong as its most vulnerable point. At facilities like this, it’s not good enough to only have a visitor check-in station at the main entrance.
Staffing each door with a visitor management installation is a great way to help keep your facility more secure.
3. Frequently welcoming visitors is an important function of a hospital
Visitors are an essential stakeholder in the world of healthcare, with many hospitals welcoming large volumes of visitors each day.
This makes it essential to have a solution for verifying, identifying, and monitoring those visitors throughout their entire stay. Each visitor should receive a visitor badge after checking in. Consider expiring visitor badges, which prevent the badges from being used multiple times on separate visits.
It’s in the best interest of your staff, patients, and the guests themselves to make a guest’s visit not only a pleasant one but a safe one.
--------------------------
Interested in learning more about healthcare visitor management, or in getting information about how our visitor management solutions would benefit your site?