Security & Safety Administration in Health Care Facilities

Hospital administration administers safety and security policies for the benefit of patients, staff and volunteers, as well as hospital visitors. The best safety and security management policies consider all stakeholders.

Types

• There are various types of safety and security policies and practices in a hospital environment. Common security practices include information technology protection, physical security and privacy management. Similarly, common safety practices include management of minors, occupational health and safety policies and hazard drills for fire, bomb threats and chemical hazards. All these policies are important for the well-being of the hospital and those who rely on it.

Benefits

• There are many types of hospital security and safety policies all of which benefit from proper administration. Hospital assets, such as computers and sensitive clinical data, are protected through the administration of security policies and practices. Patients, particularly minors and the very ill, are protected through physical security practices.

Causes

• Common causes of health care safety and security violations are communication failures, physical infrastructure issues and human resources-related factors. Policies may assist with solving these issues but policies must also work with local, state and national legislation. For example, policies must reflect privacy standards of all pertinent legislative bodies.