Safeguarding Patients and Healthcare Staff with Surveillance Technology
Malpractice in the health industry does not always relate to a patient’s medical treatment. Abuse and neglect are two other factors that put patient health at risk. To combat this, hospitals and other caregivers have employed surveillance technology to safeguard patients and staff. In addition, the technology improves incident resolution whilst abiding by strict data standards.
Therefore, if Data Protection Act (DPA) compliance and patient privacy are important to your business, then this post will be relevant. Here we detail the benefits of video technology in a healthcare setting.
The Challenge of DPA Compliance
DPA requirements can deter administrations from deploying surveillance technology altogether. Whilst a concern for patient privacy is principal, many professionals worry that camera technology may bring extra compliance challenges rather than solve them.
However, vendors have been quick to upgrade the software behind their cameras and stay up to date with guidelines.
Vendors are aware of DPA regulations and take measures to meet new privacy policies. Correspondingly, with regular system updates, the latest security, accessibility and storage standards are maintained. Without exploiting the privacy of their patients, the use of camera monitoring is not to be feared, but embraced.
New camera systems can help with DPA in a number of ways:
Track system activity: Audit logs enable leaders to track all activity on their system. In addition the correct management of user permissions will deter misconduct and protect patient data.
Elevated Permissions: Administrators can set different layers of authority in the system, and assign these permissions to a closed list of staff. As a result, they have control over who can see what and when.
Encrypted Data: A modern system will default encrypt all sensitive health material to ensure patient privacy. This extends to the storage and transmission of footage.
Identify The Areas That Cause Most Risk
There are key areas in a healthcare setting where Surveillance Technology could make a huge difference. Proactively identifying the areas that are susceptible to risk by focusing attention where it is needed most.
Potential hotspots to be mindful of are of course those that contain medicine. However, locations used as thoroughfare, as well as elevators and fire escapes also require attention. These are areas that you may want to monitor more closely – but only if you have the time and resource available.
Surveillance technology gives administrative staff that extra set of eyes. However, simply having video surveillance is only half the battle. Combining the technology with mitigation strategies (to monitor and respond to incidents) will give your staff the resource to protect patients, as well as themselves.
The latest camera systems can notify you when something is out of place, such as a door left open or out-of-hours activity. This allows staff to continue with other activities, and only focus on a response when it is required.
Training Staff to be Responsible for Patient Data and Privacy
Legacy systems – such as those relying on NVRs and DVRs – that require remote accessibility are vulnerable to the risk of cyber-attack. From a technology perspective, the risks introduced by port-forwarding and punching through firewalls come into play if modern software is not used. However, aside from upgrading to a newer system, there are other factors to develop too.
The training that you provide to your staff should work hand-in-hand with any technology system. Furthermore, staff should take responsibility for maintaining patient data and privacy as much as senior management.
In Summary
No two healthcare institutions are the same. Different sites will encounter different factors that encroach on patient privacy and safety. However, coupling DPA compliant technology with regular staff training will ensure patient privacy is always at the forefront of your operations.
Whether you need a single camera or a whole network of them, the team here at Tellivue are able to work with you to find the best security solution
If you would like to learn more about how we can provide you with the means to achieve the best retail loss prevention, do not hesitate to give us a call today on 020 7846 3300 or send an e-mail to [email protected] and we’ll be in touch as soon as possible.
