HCA375: Hospital Security Issues

Patient safety is number one in hospitals. Every staff member that comes into contact with a patient should always have the question, “Will the patient be safe?” in the back of

Entering the medium security hospital would seem like a total surrender of freedom; all sharp objects were taken away, phone calls were limited, and leaving the

In conclusion, I believe that it is vital to have heavy security in healthcare facilities so that we can make sure the hospital citizens can get better without having to worry of any danger coming their

The problem has led to poor quality care to patients, burnouts and high staff turnover among the nurses. Statistics indicate that 65%-80% of nurses face this challenge. Nurses who are affected by the violence extend the effects to those whom they closely work with for instance physicians and medical supervisors (Howe, 2001). However, the worst hit population is the patients because they will eventually pay for poor quality services they received. Some succumb to their ailments.

In this task I will be describing how health and safety legislation, policies and procedures promotes the safety of individuals in a Hospital. Quality care is an important issue for both health care workers and their partners. Government continue to work on implementing staffing law that will upgrade the medical systems. Hospitals are required to provide security for patients and staff. Mechanical equipment, housekeeping, administrative and food staff play important roles in preventing all environmental hazards. Safety concerns surrounding these hazards include injury, illness, disease exposure, disaster

“GET DOWN!.... SHHH!!!!.... GET DOWN! GET INTO A ROOM AND LOCK IT!!!!” This is the first thing our opposite crew heard as they walked into the ER with a patient last month. Should this crew have recognized the signs of an active shooter? Is walking into a hospital with an active shooter even a real concern? From 2000-2012, there were 154 hospital related shootings in the United States with 235 injuries or deaths. That’s more than 1 shooting a month. As QIC I will implement parts of the “Active Shooter Preparedness” from United States Homeland Security. Knowing exactly what Emergency Action Plans our hospitals have in place will help us know how to recognize and react to possible active shooter situations. Scene safety is constant with EMS.

I would like to give you some insight as to the daily operation of a major Emergency Department in this city. Not unlike many other “ER’s” the nursing staff is tasked with the triage or assessment of patients in order to sort by priority. The nurse is then tasked with maintaining flow of the department and ensuring the timely care and physician evaluation of patients. This requires clinical nursing judgement and expertise which is tested constantly. To explain this plainly, nurses are faced with a meat grinder which cannot stop. There may be twenty patients in the lobby with ambulances lining up. The room nurses are trying to

Violence in health care is an intriguing subject. Understanding and coping with threatening and violent behavior in mental health settings can be challenging and is a necessary part of being a health care provider (Berring, Pedersen, & Buus, 2016). If the situation is not handled well, patient and staff injuries can occur. A well thought out de-escalation plan and having a process in place is valuable. Having a range of psychosocial interventions that are focused on redirecting patients can help calm them down. The important aspects of de-escalating are being familiar with the patient, understanding the situation, knowing yourself, and having the knowledge of how to communicate in such a situation. Unfortunately, there are not many studies that have explored how staff and patients experience de-escalation methods and further research is needed in this very relevant area of health care.

Continual training is needed not only to educate personnel but also to remind personnel that although coming to work may be a daily routine for them, a trip to the hospital for many patients is far from ordinary. The security guard who was more concerned with the position of the car and talking to his buddy, than why the people in the car had drove up to the emergency entrance in the first place was mind boggling. With the exception of our initial phone call to the hospital, the security guard experience was our first impression as we entered the hospital. The actions of the security guard, the orderly's remarks, and the inexperienced resident set the tone for that first day's experience.

In 3 articles, survivors of healthcare worker directed violence admitted to knowingly spending less time with their patients after the attack.(8, 12, 16) Quality of care is also reduced as survivors admit to being fearful of their patients as well as being reluctant to care for specific patients or any patients at all.(8, 17, 19, 25) After an incident of workplace violence, survivors stated that they have decreased communication with their patients, patient families, and coworkers.(12, 27) Survivors also admitted to having reduced interest in being a part of patient care, as well as being in their current position.(8, 12, 14, 19) One article found that physiotherapists often reduced their expectations for their patients after experiencing an incidence of workplace violence from a patient.(8) Survivors also found that they had reduced empathy and gave reduced emotional support to patients and their families after returning to work.(15) After an attack by a patient, survivors admitted to lacking concentration that led to missed medication administration, increased falls, and increased errors in administration of care.(10, 15, 17, 27)

In today’s world violence can be expected anywhere at any time. This includes what was considered at one time a low risk area, the medical facility. Today the incidence of violence is increasing. There are two types of violence the first is lateral violence or aggression which is amongst hospital or medical personal. The other is external factors consisting of patients or visitors instituting violence or aggression among themselves or against healthcare workers. This is known as a code grey in my facility and all male staff not currently engaged in patient care are supposed to respond.

Workplace violence is a serious issue in all workplace settings in the United States, health care included. It is unfortunate that places that offer services to help better people’s health and lives are also places that experience terrifying life-threatening situations, but this is sadly the case. Between the years of 2000 and 2011, there were 154 documented, hospital-related shooting events in 148 hospitals across the nation that affected 253 victims (Kelen, Catlett, Kubut, & Hsieh, 2012). Not only is workplace violence physically harmful to the health care staff and patients, but it also causes emotional harm. According to Blando, O’Hagan, Casteel, Nocera, and Peek-Asa, “Potential for violence affects nurse performance,

Issues related to a lack of patient safety have been going on for a lot of years now. Throughout the first decade of the 21st century, there has been a national emphasis on cultivating patient safety. Patient safety is a global issue, that touches countries at all levels of expansion and is one of the nation's most determined health care tests. According to the Institute of Medicine (1999), they have measured that as many as 48,000 to 88,000 people are dying in U.S. hospitals each year as the result of lapses in patient safety. Estimates of the size of the problem on this are scarce particularly in developing countries; it is likely that millions of patients worldwide could suffer disabling injuries or death every year due to unsafe medical care. Risk and safety have always been uninterruptedly been significant concerns in the hospital industry. Patient safety is a very much important part of our health care system and it really

Health Care security in the United States has been part of the national culture for over a century, but many companies have struggled with the transition to electronic records. In the early 1900s, many hospitals hired a security guard to look over their facilities. Their primary role was to safeguard the hospital from fire. At that point many of the police patrols were done on foot and most cities had their officers incorporate hospitals into their daily rounds. In the 1950s there was a culture shift and security coverage of hospitals became less of a community responsibility. Off-duty policemen were increasingly hired for additional

Healthcare facilities are part of every country’s critical infrastructure, so protecting these facilities is crucial. Delivering rapid review,