The challenges involved in securing a hospital are unlike those in almost any other building. Most hospitals have relatively easy access because they want to provide a welcoming environment and while this dictates that it is often necessary to allow for high levels of public access to the hospital and other health amenities, including the routes linking different departments, entry to many back of house areas and most other facilities needs to be restricted for the protection of both patients and property.
Personal safety and crime prevention are obviously key issues for any hospital but how this duty is discharged depends on many factors including the level of security required in specific areas and the numbers of people likely to need access to those areas in the course of their work.
Most hospitals still use surprisingly large numbers of mechanical locks and keys that are cumbersome to control, time consuming and expensive to replace if key security is breached and they have no "audit trail" facility to show managers who accessed a door and when. Added to this is that users of keyed locks can also leave themselves open to a range of potential problems and of these there is one particular issue, mechanical keys are really easy to copy with no questions asked.
An alternative to keyed locks - especially when a key has been lost - is to replace the lock with a cheap keypad or pin code lock. These are used in substantial numbers in hospitals alongside keyed locks and they too can be extremely unsecure. In many cases it is not unknown for the code to be written down and kept close by the door, making nonsense of the security. Even some of the latest models of this type of lock fare no better. For instance one government certified version of this type of lock from a high-end well known manufacturer requires an employee to enter both a code up to eight digits in length and swipe a unique identity card to open the lock and thus access a room. But hackers have found that they can open it in seconds simply by inserting a piece of wire, such as a straightened out paperclip, into the tiny display light above the keypad instantly rendering all that ‘security' irrelevant.
Clearly with so much at stake something more robust is needed so what is the solution? Controlling access via a traditional hardwired system is only a practical answer for a very small number of doors, as the complexity of installation and sheer volume of wiring usually make it a prohibitively expensive option. As an alternative therefore many hospitals will want a solution that can cope with as many doors as possible, i.e. for operating theatres, intensive care wards, maternity suites, treatment rooms, pharmacies, drug and medicine stores, medical record offices etc but they will want it at an affordable price as their number one priority security issues aside is and will always be investing in patient care.
Hospital access control cards enhance the overall security level of a facility by limiting access to restricted areas and permitting only authorised personnel to enter |
Choosing a system
Most hospitals require employees such as doctors, nurses, porters, cleaners, administration staff etc to wear a photo ID. In some cases these badges can be very basic, but in many hospitals they have discovered it makes sense to link hospital ID badges to access control systems. Hospital access control cards enhance the overall security level of a facility by limiting access to restricted areas and permitting only authorised personnel to enter.
Keyless entry also makes it easier to lock down a facility in the event of a security incident or other emergency. Securing a hospital with a myriad of entrance and exit doors is much more difficult with a keyed entry system than with a card system. Imagine trying to seal off all the exterior doors of a hospital in an emergency situation when each door requires someone to personally visit it with the appropriate key!
A modern electronic access control system provides much greater flexibility and speed when it comes to quickly locking down buildings and restricted areas. As the latest access control systems typically operate using proximity or contactless smart card technology, they are capable of providing a high level of security throughout the hospital or healthcare facility.
For instance certain virtual network systems that use data-on-card technology and battery operated stand alone locks can control up to 64,000 doors in a building or group of buildings and up to 4 million staff members on a single system from a single PC if required. Such systems read, receive and write information via staff members ID cards though normal use as they move about the hospital, passing into areas via wall reader access or opening doors equipped with stand alone electronic locks.
The ID cards can also be programmed to allow access to specific rooms or areas within the hospital for selected periods only, with the doors auto locking at pre-specified times as required. And if key security is breached due to the loss of an ID card, it can be instantly deleted from the system without the need or cost of rekeying or changing locks - saving the hospital time and money.
So if you are looking to better control security and access in your hospital what should you look for? Access control solutions can differ considerably in detail so these are the main points you should take into account when evaluating if a system is right for you. As a minimum it should include:
- A standalone wire free or wireless system for maximum flexibility.
- The ability to control who can access specific areas at specific times of day.
- The ability to assign access privileges for fixed periods of your choice ensuring access is automatically cancelled on expiry of the timeframe.
- Audit trailing to enable the ID "key" card to provide information on the movements of staff and visitors through all doors protected by electronic access control, thus enabling you in the event of a security incident to see who accessed a particular door and when.
- Emergency lockdown - in the event of a security incident or other emergency - the site can be locked down simply and quickly.
- Last but not least, financial savings and reduced risk. Replacing keys with electronic access control means that if a mechanical key is lost or stolen there are no re-keying costs - saving money. A lost card can be cancelled immediately and replaced within seconds. If the lost card is found and access attempted, it will not work.
Conclusion
While the prospect of upgrading from a dated keyed system to a new electronic one is always a significant undertaking, the ability to retro-fit an existing hospital door with a new "intelligent" handle set in around 10 minutes, makes it manageable and affordable.
As with most things the key to success lies in selecting a product and a vendor that offers all the functionality above whilst ensuring that the migration is both innovative and seamless. The system chosen should not only fulfil a hospital's needs today, but equally importantly create a platform for future applications that will also meet the needs of the hospital tomorrow.