Top 3 components of a solid healthcare security program

This audio was created using Microsoft Azure Speech Services

Healthcare leaders have long been challenged with creating and maintaining a welcoming, safe, and secure environment in their facilities.

Looking back to 1968, at the first International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS) conference, the question was asked of the attendees: “What do you consider to be the major mistake that you have seen in the stages of security program development in hospitals?”  Then and now, the answer to that question is that organizations decide on how many security officers they need or want before they determine the functions of the security department.  This is still a common issue that requires awareness, discussion, and collaboration to establish a solid foundation.

When building or evolving your healthcare security program, use the following questions to guide your discussions. Does your healthcare security department have:

• A Security Management Plan that includes preventive, protective, and responsive measures designed to provide a safe and secure environment?
• A Technology Primary Plan that incorporates your security and safety technology into the hospital’s facility infrastructure to leverage opportunities for efficiency gains, workflow optimization, and better patient outcomes?
• A multi-function healthcare team to identify and plan the security and safety strategy in a customer service methodology?

In November 2014, the Danish Schneider Electric Healthcare team hosted a day-long event for security, facility, and leadership teams to learn how to establish the foundation of a healthcare security program.  Our customers came away from the meeting with a better understanding of:

• The role and importance that security plays in a patient-focused environment
• The collaborative process needed for security programs to work effectively within a clinical environment
• How to have those first conversations regarding security with hospital leadership teams

The next step for our Danish Healthcare Team is to provide consultative leadership to those healthcare facilities to help them succeed in their mission to provide a welcoming, safe, and secure environment.

How does your healthcare security department start the conversation? Share your suggestions below.