Like any professional organization in any market, healthcare facilities are not immune to daily business challenges created by staffing shortages, limited resources, shrinking budgets and rising costs. Combine these trends with the unique dynamics of medical emergencies, life or death procedures and large amounts of confidential patient data, and it’s no surprise that healthcare facilities welcome whatever helps them be more efficient. This includes video surveillance technology, which can help achieve a balance of quality patient care, safety and overall operational efficiency.

Cameras are now commonly installed throughout healthcare facilities to meet a myriad of security and surveillance needs. However, it’s not just a matter of installing more cameras, but installing cameras with more diverse features and capabilities. From the emergency room to the operating room, healthcare professionals can maintain situational awareness of everything going on within their facility.

Improve patient care and overall safety

With the integration of IP pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras and virtual health platforms, hospitals can perform 24/7 centralized patient monitoring as well as remote monitoring and observation of various units. Multi-directional and PTRZ technology benefit hospitals looking to get the most out of their security investment. With one device through one data connection, a facility can record several key areas like pharmacies, hallways or lobbies with unique fields of view for each.

Hospitals are also complementing their cameras’ security monitoring performance with enhanced data-gathering capabilities that combine intelligent audio/video analytics and artificial intelligence (AI). With customizable analytics zones and event-based alarms, a license-free video analytics suite can reduce the frequency of false alarms while increasing the efficiency of forensic review.

The result is targeted object detection and classification, which saves time for hospital security teams by speeding forensic searches. When an incident occurs, locating a person of interest, for example, can take only a few minutes instead of having to sift through hundreds of camera streams. Adding intelligent video and audio analytics helps healthcare facilities reduce costs and ultimately improves patient outcomes through increased overall efficiency.

A healthy dose of video analytics

Deploying the right surveillance system can also deliver a range of public health and safety benefits. For example, facility occupancy management is an important factor in reducing the spread of infection or other health risks. Ensuring that everyone in the facility has enough space to maintain a safe physical distance means hospitals must know how many people are in their buildings at all times.

Using video analytics lets hospitals determine how many people are within specific areas, including different departments, lobbies, cafeterias and hallways. Once 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 limiting access temporarily.

Create a comprehensive surveillance strategy

These capabilities provide the right diagnosis for improving patient care, connecting with colleagues, monitoring sensitive areas and maintaining a safe healthcare environment. Healthcare facilities need surveillance solutions that combine 24/7 protection with the latest advancements in AI, analytics and cloud management. Hardening devices against cybersecurity threats also helps to protect patient and data privacy, truly creating a safer environment for all.

Another way hospitals can improve safety is to integrate their surveillance system with the most popular VMS applications. This helps improve patient care, keep colleagues connected, monitor sensitive areas and maintain a safe environment for all.  By having the right mix of surveillance solutions in place that combine 24/7 protection with the latest advancements 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 a larger role in every healthcare setting, with facilities deploying surveillance technology in new ways using different camera types in varying configurations.

Looking ahead, the potential applications for security cameras in a healthcare setting are endless.  Being proactive and quickly identifying suspicious individuals entering the facility allows security personnel to react before an incident takes place. Cameras with remote monitoring capabilities can also reduce the risk of a patient falling and getting hurt.  Hospitals can strengthen compliance and reduce the risk of errors through surveillance of surgical procedures.  Throughout these changes, one constant will always remain: enhancing the safety of patients, families, and staff.  

For more information, visit hanwhavisionamerica.com/healthcare.