Security in Healthcare
Addressing today’s top threats to hospitals
- By Todd Miller
- June 01, 2019
Our nation’s hospitals and healthcare
organizations encounter numerous
challenges, both internally and
externally, and they need to maintain
their continuity of operations
every day. But when it comes to the basic mission
of protecting patients or practitioners in
our facilities, is our healthcare system prepared
enough to handle this public safety?
Scanning today’s headlines will tell us that
active assailants, workplace violence, natural
disasters and other threats are increasing.
Healthcare systems must rise to the challenge
to become more vigilantly prepared
and offer more enhanced response capabilities,
while also staying laser-focused on its
core responsibility—treating patients. In
order to balance these pressing priorities, it’s
become critical for hospitals and healthcare
systems to create internal teams who are
leading the effort to provide a safe and secure
environment, even in dire situations.
The key aspect of providing the best care is
preparing and planning for not only all types
of emergencies, but specifically focusing on
those that are most likely to occur. A recent
survey from Rave Mobile Safety found a
stark difference between what healthcare
organizations believe are their top safety
concerns and the realities of what emergencies
commonly occur. While respondents
cited events such as active shooter incidents
and cyberattacks as their chief concerns, the
most common incidents that actually take
place are system outages and weather events.
Concerns Versus Preparedness
The survey examined the current and most
pressing emergency concerns for hospitals
and healthcare facilities. Specific building
emergencies, such as fire drills, continue to
be a priority, but the reality is that there are
discrepancies about what emergencies occur
compared to the preparedness plans healthcare
facilities have in place.
In fact, 60 percent of respondents revealed
that they conduct fire drills every quarter, yet
only 18 percent have had a serious fire incident
within the last two years. Though fire
drills remain a cornerstone of emergency
preparedness, these plans for modern-day
adverse events, such as cyberattacks and
weather events, aren’t robust enough. It’s
essential that each type of emergency is prepared
for and prevention measures are practiced
beyond those that have been historically
top of mind. This doesn’t mean that
healthcare professionals should not prepare
for such an emergency, but it highlights the
disparity between the drills currently taking
place and the actual emergencies that are the
most probable threat.
The Reality of Today’s Threats
Rather than relying too heavily on the traditional
practice of fire drills it is also crucial
for hospitals and healthcare systems to identify
additional safety threats and plan
accordingly. In this research, respondents
stated that system outages (54 percent) and
weather events (52 percent) are the most
common incidents, followed by workplace
violence (27 percent).
System outages. While the findings
show that other unforeseen events are the
top priority for healthcare organizations,
the reality is that system outages are the
most common incidents the industry regularly
experiences. Outside of survey respondents
who work in facilities, system outages
weren’t a top safety concern. A contrast
continues to appear between preparedness
and actual situations, with 32 percent of
respondents who’ve had a system outage
said they’ve never ran an emergency drill.
This is a sobering considering that system
outages can cripple everyday business operations
of an entire healthcare facility.
Weather-related events. The frequency
and severity of weather-related incidents,
such as hurricanes, tornados, flooding and
wildfires, are impacting the communities
these hospitals and healthcare facilities
serve, but also their operations. When these
events occur, they are causing more people
to search for care, and these organizations
need to ensure they have enough staff available
to care for the influx of patients. Half of
the survey respondents reported experiencing
a dangerous weather incident within the
last two years, while over half said their facilities
have gone over a year without testing
their weather-related emergency plans.
This is in contrast to the recommended
twice-a-year testing by the Joint Commission
on the Accreditation of Healthcare
Organizations. It specifies testing exercises
should be developed using plausible scenarios
that are realistic and relevant to a specific
organization. These tests will help healthcare
facilities to identify deficiencies, so corrective
actions can be made ahead of the next
test or actual emergency.
Workplace violence. As is the case with
our police officers and firefighters, nurses,
doctors, emergency room technicians and
healthcare professionals come to work every
day on the frontline of our communities.
Healthcare employees are often working in
an environment at personal risk, caring for
patients who have a history of violence, may
be under the influence of drugs or act out
during a high-stress situation. According to
the United States Department of Labor, the
healthcare industry accounts for nearly as
many serious violent injuries as all other
industries combined.
Our research found that 29 percent of
respondents reported workplace violence to
be their biggest safety concern, even though
33 percent have never run workplace violence
drills. It’s even more vital for healthcare
professionals to have an opportunity to
report these incidents, but 25 percent of
those respondents who experienced a workplace
violence incident also said they didn’t
have a method to report anonymous tips.
The Need for Essential Changes
It’s clear that the industry has room for
improvement as healthcare organizations
prepare for the most common threats. By
including regular drills and drafting emergency
plans that leverage tools like mass
notification systems, healthcare professionals
can be prepared and kept safe from a
number of possible threats, not just those
that are most likely to occur.
This article originally appeared in the May/June 2019 issue of Campus Security Today.