Hospitals are busy places with a lot of people, a lot of equipment, and more; all of which need to be managed and secured effectively. Some security systems are across the whole facility while others may be specialized. Infant protection systems are built for specific purposes and protections, and they can be customized to further increase security. Here are a few ways to enhance the infant protection system in your hospital:

1. Implement Mother-Infant Matching

Identification tags are a foundational element in hospitals for patient safety, infant protection, and more. Taking it a step further to have those tags automatically sync up and alert upon mismatch is one of the ways to enhance the infant protection system in your hospital.

Mother and infant matching technology is one of the essential elements of an effective infant protection system and can add a new layer of protection to existing infant security protocols. The Securitas Healthcare Hugs® & Kisses™ system is the top global infant security system and has this pairing technology built-in. A soft, lullaby-like chime sounds when there is a match. If there is a mismatch, an alarm sounds and a notification alert goes out.

2. Combine Infant Protection With Access Control

Another one of the ways to enhance the infant protection system in your hospital is to combine infant protection measures, including the built-in real-time location system (RTLS), with access control.

This can be customized to fit your facility and needs. For example, Baptist Health of Paducah requested to customize their system so that there would be a strobe flash and an alert that goes out when a tag is in the field range of the HUGS door controller.

This meant that if a baby were to get too close to an exit door without authorization, a strobe would flash and a security alert would go out. This would allow the unit to lock down, account for everyone to make sure they were where they should be, and further prevent the risk of infant abduction.

3. Automate Processes With Integration

Beyond the tag and exit door proximity alert, you can also enhance the infant protection system in your hospital by integrating other systems and automating processes as much as possible.

In addition to having tags trigger alarms, whether by proximity to exits or unauthorized areas, mismatches, tampering, etc., different rules can be set to also trigger video surveillance to capture video in a specific area, to activate door locks, to hold or secure elevators in a specific area, and more.

You can also customize processes and workflows for different units within the same floor. You may want different customizations for a postpartum unit than for a NICU. From room-level monitoring to unit-level and facility-wide, there are a lot of options available to secure every part of your healthcare facility.

4. Set Up Escalating Alerts

Taking alerts even further can also enhance your infant protection system. In addition to pairing infant protection with other security systems to trigger alerts, you can also set up a system of escalating alerts.

Situation-specific notifications can help automate responses and enhance security while also minimizing interruptions to other hospital operations and workflows. Alert escalation could be a notification if an infant leaves a room that then escalates to alarms and lockdowns if they approach an unauthorized area or exit.

These types of situation-specific notifications and alert escalations can also provide additional information to nurses and security staff about the severity, urgency, etc. of the event. With minimal time or extra steps, hospital staff accurately know what they might be dealing with and how to respond to an alert.

Upgrade Your Infant Protection System With NEPPS

These are just a few ways to enhance the infant protection system in your hospital. Because every facility varies, the right mix of security products and integrations will also vary. This will need to be taken into account to comprehensively and effectively secure your facility.

Choosing the right security systems integrator can ensure you get the comprehensive security your facility needs and the peace of mind that it is installed correctly. If you’re interested in improving the security of your facility, contact NEPPS at 1-800-736-1456 to schedule a free site assessment!