Craig Newell, Vice President of Business Development at Traka Americas delves into the strategic solutions such as asset management that can be used to enhance operational efficiencies in healthcare settings.

Safety in healthcare

Even though the pandemic may seem like a distant memory, specific images of that period are etched into our minds – people walking around with masks, empty schools, churches and sporting venues and socially distanced waves from behind windows.

Among the most impactful visuals were the healthcare workers themselves, represented in a bleary-eyed, scrub-clad physician after a 16 or 18-hour shift with the imprint of a mask indented on the nose and cheeks.

There was an outpouring of support for healthcare workers during that time, as they were the unsung heroes who stewarded us through an unprecedented time.

However, even as the pandemic fades away from our minds, the need to appreciate healthcare workers remains and has perhaps never been greater.

Healthcare facilities of all disciplines are facing packed waiting rooms and staffing shortages, and as such, it’s incumbent on administrators to invest in technology that will not only help ensure overall safety but empower staff to do their jobs efficiently.

The key to it all – asset management

Healthcare administrators need to focus on operational efficiency from a top-down approach.

As many healthcare facilities include multiple buildings and campuses, executives should champion solutions to ultimately impact various departments within the same ecosystem.

At the heart of that, particularly regarding security, are keys.

Even though fully digital access control is evolving, keys remain the most foundational element to access control, with an average of about 80% of access systems in healthcare facilities being dependent on them.

However, with the use of keys comes the need for healthcare facilities to manage them properly.

Not only does it represent a security threat if a key gets into the wrong hands (mainly if it’s for a highly sensitive area), but it could be a financial risk, as the cost to re-key a facility can be extraordinary.

It’s also worth considering the impact of lost keys on the employees themselves.

They could spend precious time looking for misplaced keys and wondering who checked out which key and when.

In an industry where time is truly of the essence, spending time on something so unnecessary is a serious vulnerability.

Thankfully, there’s technology out there that’s changing how healthcare facilities manage their keys.

Electronic key management systems are advanced solutions that safely and securely store keys.

These cabinets, which can include RFID tags on all keys, are programmed so that administrators can assign access to specific keys within a central cabinet, which can eliminate unauthorized access to particular keys.

They can also include a curfew feature so that if a staff member doesn’t return a key by a specific time, the administrator can be immediately notified, reducing the time to identify who had which key last.

Also, the interface can be programmed so that employees input why they’re taking the key (i.e., for training, emergency, security, etc.).

This prompt is significant for reporting and auditing purposes and in helping facilities stay compliant.

The exact interface utilization can be leveraged in another critical element of healthcare operations – fleet management.

Some of the largest healthcare systems have hundreds of vehicles in their fleets and they always need to operate at peak efficiency, especially in the case of an emergency.

The cabinets can incorporate a “fault logging” feature which requires users to input if there are any issues with the vehicle they were driving (i.e., low on gas, flat tire, check engine light, etc.), which can automatically remove that vehicle from circulation.

This feature not only reduces the possibility of an employee taking a faulty vehicle but also helps extend the life of those vehicles and reduces staff constantly using the “favorite” vehicle in the fleet.

Asset management locker alignment

As technology continues to advance within the medical field, so too do the actual assets that healthcare staff use.

Gone are the days of a traditional pen and clipboard hanging outside a patient’s room.

Staff routinely use some version of tablet or digital device to conduct various tasks and carry radios for instant communication from across a campus or facility.

Therefore, administrators must have the infrastructure to safeguard and charge these assets for daily use.

Just like with key cabinets, asset management lockers are becoming a standard solution within healthcare facilities that use shared assets like radios, scanners and tablets, as well as unique equipment like food thermometers for food service departments.

These asset management lockers can be customized with charging capabilities inside an individual compartment, connecting with the corresponding software to automatically prioritize the most charged asset when a user is trying to check one out.

Understandably, it can be frustrating when an employee checks out a tablet and finds that it has yet to be charged.

Additionally, like the key cabinets, these assets can be tagged so that administrators know where they are at all times, helping to reduce potential damage or loses.

In addition to shared assets, lockers can be used to safely store temporary items for patients and staff and aid in secure storage for susceptible items, like weapons, for both staff and patients.

While there are various compliance standards for healthcare security staff regarding the storage of firearms, there aren’t as many standards in place when a patient enters a facility with a weapon on their person.

Additional benefits to asset management lockers mirror that of the key cabinets – safe storage, clear auditing and monitoring, curfew implementation, reduced downtime spent looking for lost assets and improved workflows, either at a central location or across multiple buildings and campuses, all of which can be monitored by a remote administrator.

Communication through integration

Another significant benefit of both key cabinets and asset management lockers within healthcare that bears singling out is the ability to integrate into existing systems, namely access control.

There are a variety of access levels granted within healthcare systems, which are ecosystems unto themselves.

That access control must communicate to the assets being leveraged to create a streamlined yet secure environment that allows staff to attend to patients without worrying about unnecessary credentials, passwords or codes.

The most effective key cabinets and asset management lockers integrate seamlessly with existing platforms, which impacts healthcare staff in several ways.

First, it cuts down on onboarding time for new employees – they receive an access badge and that’s their single credential for many of their access points.

They don’t have to spend time learning multiple systems to complete their task or carrying additional credentials.

On the other end of the spectrum, employees who are leaving the company, either through resignation or termination, can have their access immediately removed through a central system.

This not only ensures they don’t have access to the building but also to sensitive assets like keys, tablets and radios that are kept inside, improving security by ensuring they cannot become disruptive to patients or other staff.

Multiply that functionality across different departments, buildings and campuses, and asset management ensures you have an efficient integration system that is easy to understand from the end-user perspective and manages from the administrator’s perspective.

Help the helpers

The ironic reality of many healthcare facilities is that even though they are inherently committed to helping others, they often don’t invest in helping themselves.

In a time of increasing healthcare staff burnout, turnover and overworked facilities, healthcare systems face a workforce crisis.

Not every system is the same, but there are common steps that many can take to help curb that trend of attrition.

By implementing solutions such as asset management that can expedite processes and cut down on risks for their staff, administrators send a clear message that they care about their employees and want to provide the best workplace atmosphere for them to succeed.

That starts at the most basic level with key and asset management, which must be addressed amid the search for operational excellence within the rapidly paced healthcare industry.

This article was originally published in the September edition of Security Journal Americas. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.