Top 5 Best Practices for Infant Security in Hospitals

Hospitals and birthing centers have a duty to keep the infants in their care safe from harm. They implement safety strategies and rules to ensure that infants arrive safely into the world and leave the hospital in the best health possible. One particular concern for newborns in healthcare settings is abduction. 

A number of strategies and procedures can be implemented to protect infants from harm or abduction. Installing surveillance cameras can help keep track of what is going on at a healthcare facility. The cameras can document who is entering and leaving the facility, identify visitors, and record events at a hospital should the video footage be needed at a later time. Hospitals also frequently use electronic access control (card swipe access points, door locks, electronic gates) to control which individuals can access certain parts of the hospital. 

5 Ways to Secure Infants in Healthcare Settings

Figuring out just what is needed at your hospital or birthing center can be a daunting task, so we have put together a list of five of the most important ways you can keep infants safe at your hospital.

#1: Training and Education

Two of the most important security tactics you can implement at your healthcare facility are quality training and education programs. Proper training of staff is essential to keep all healthcare workers on the same page regarding expectations, safety standards, and daily procedures for infant protection. Education can help solidify the purpose behind policies and procedures so that all of your staff members understand the importance of safety strategies and buy into these methods.

#2: Infant Security Solution

Using an infant protection solution, such as Cuddles Infant Protection Solution, is critical for maternity and obstetric units. This system uses a soft, secure band along with a perimeter control system to protect babies in a maternity ward or hospital. If someone tries to take a baby out of a secure area of a hospital, an alert will be sent to nursing staff who can then respond swiftly to the breach. A fast response can avert an infant abduction. This system also sends alerts if a baby’s Cuddles band is tampered with or cut off.

#3: Access Control System

Controlling who comes and goes at your healthcare center is vital to safety and security. Access control creates several layers of protection to keep staff, patients, and visitors safe. For example, a card swipe access control system can prevent unauthorized personnel from entering secure areas of a hospital. You can use this system in parking lots, on outer doors, and for more secure hospital wings.

Access control can keep infants safe. Breaches in security can be documented through this system as well. A record is kept of who entered which access points and when, helping pinpoint what caused a security breach should one occur.

#4: Policies and Procedures

Of course no security measures will be successful without reliable and consistent policies and procedures that all staff must adhere to. Access control measures won’t be effective if everyone is leaving gates open or doors unlocked or allowing unauthorized personnel to enter the building through prohibited entry points.

You must have policies and procedures in place that all staff agree to uphold. There should be clear methods for following safety and security protocols, and there should be consequences for failure to maintain these standards. Everyone should be properly trained on these procedures and should not be allowed to work unless they have a firm grasp of the best practices at your facility for protecting infants.

#5: Digital Footprinting

Finally, another way to keep newborns safe at hospitals is through the process of digital footprinting. Digital footprint scans can document infants at a hospital from birth so they can be easily identified should an emergency occur. These footprint scans are more effective than ink and paper footprinting methods hospitals have used in the past. 

Digital scans last forever, can be shared quickly and easily with law enforcement, and are better able to capture an infant’s unique footprint.

What Else Can Be Done to Protect Infants in Hospitals?

Other steps can be taken to ensure the safety of infants, and none of these steps should be done halfway or just to say you made an effort. For instance, it’s not enough to just install a security system. You want to make sure you install one that is powerful and will do its job reliably. Choose security products that are known to produce results you can count on and manufacturing companies with reputations for excellence. 

Need to Secure Infants at a Hospital or Birthing Center? Call Accutech Healthcare Security Solutions

If you need additional information about healthcare security solutions, such as infant digital footprint scanning, reach out to Accutech today. We offer the CertaScan baby footprint scanning, Cuddles infant protection solution, and Accutech Access for practical access control that won’t let you down.