healthcare

Secure Patients, Healthcare Workers and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) with Electronic Locks

Enhancing secure storage for patients and workers with Electronic Locks

May 6, 2020

As hospitals and healthcare facilities work to flatten the curve of covid-19 patients, unused space such as parking lots and hotels are being utilized as makeshift hospitals. This creative solution to a lack of patient accommodation brings with it concern over supply security and patient privacy. Hospital supplies that are used to treat patients and keep healthcare workers protected are at a higher risk of theft, misplacement and multi-contact contamination. In recent news, New Orleans experienced a worst-case scenario when a public safety director of a local convention center was charged with stealing 80 N-95 masks, a piece of protective gear, while the center was being transformed into a pop-up hospital. Another incident of mask theft occurred in Reno, Nevada where hundreds of masks were stolen out of a medical cart by a hospital employee, showing the immense need of monitoring protective gear so that supplies can be shared across the hospital according to greatest risk.

Issues around the use of field hospitals go well beyond supply theft, with concern over the risk of public access to private medical records as positive Covid-19 test results are being closely monitored. The Nurses Service Organization (NSO) states that ‘keeping patient information protected’ is the number one risk among the four risks nurses face during the Coronavirus pandemic. It is crucial that the patients’ privacy is a top priority within all healthcare environments, whether that be in a hospital facility or on a field.

The requirements healthcare workers face adhering to HIPAA while serving the needs of the patients are a huge responsibility. Although the covid-19 situation is unique, safety and privacy are of constant importance now more than ever. As part of a compliance strategy, healthcare storage units containing sensitive information and crucial supplies can be installed or upgraded with robust locking mechanisms that only allow authorized access, are easily managed, and are clearly visible.

For more information on how your healthcare establishment can quickly increase security, by upgrading your mechanical locks to electronic locks, offering increased visibility of your protective gear via our Advanced management and audit trail visibility, connect with a healthcare business advisor at Digilock.com. We are here to help keep you and your patients safe and sound.

Keywords: Protecting Protective Gear, Securing Patient Records, Medication Management, HIPAA Security, PPE, Compliance Strategy, Patient Care, Patient Satisfaction

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