In today’s fast-paced environment, ensuring the safety and security of patients, staff, and visitors is crucial. Healthcare facilities face unique challenges that require robust, integrated solutions to manage both emergency and non-emergency situations more effectively. Some examples include clear communication across departments, rapid response to medical emergencies, patient admissions and discharges, complying with regulations, and more.
It's important for healthcare facilities to prioritize safety by deploying the right incident management and communication tools to protect those on-campus. By addressing incident management challenges with effective solutions, healthcare institutions can create a more secure environment for all.
Technology solutions can help healthcare facilities keep people safe and informed. Here are a few examples:
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Sharing Incident Data with 911 – During an emergency, every second counts which is why it’s important to know exactly where and when an incident occurs. For situations requiring help from first responders, such as an active shooter or lockdown, location data is critical – and especially important for facilities that have multiple buildings, wings, or rooms. Tools like Intrado’s Safety Shield can send location data, floor plans, and other incident details directly to 911 emergency dispatchers (often known as “PSAPs” or public safety answering points) through the ALI stream, which dramatically reduces the time between the incident occurring and incident resolution.
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In-Building Paging & Automated Announcements - Mass notification is another important tool for healthcare facilities because it gives authorized users the ability to simultaneously broadcast emergency and non-emergency information across an array of devices. Having a central “hub” to manage communication to disparate devices located throughout campus buildings helps personnel streamline the entire communication process. This is especially useful for staff to page medical codes (i.e. “Code Blue”), announce visitor hours, and notify nurses or doctors when their assistance is needed.
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Building Lockdowns - Healthcare staff should have the flexibility to instantly alert security, local 911, and simultaneously put their building(s) on lockdown if necessary. Integrating incident management software with technology such as PBX systems and panic buttons allows authorized personnel to instantly put their buildings on lockdown. Consider flexible panic button solutions that offer mobile, desktop and physical panic buttons to ensure redundancies.
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Weather Alerts – Alert staff of severe weather emergencies with real-time alerts from the National Weather Service. Share pertinent information with staff, patients and visitors such as where to seek shelter or evacuation procedures.
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Automatic Door Locks - Initiating door locks via contact closure technology can keep people out of quarantined areas or specific wings. This allows staff to not have to physically close and lock a door when needed. Consider a solution that can also notify personnel if certain doors are opened after-hours, which can be helpful for nursing homes, mental health and dementia facilities.
There are various incident management solutions available on the market, but Intrado Safety Suite is the only true end-to-end incident management platform that is backed by an unmatched position in the 911 ecosystem, ensuring emergency requests for assistance reach the right first responders quickly with accurate location and incident details.
Safety Suite offers healthcare facilities a centralized incident management platform providing an "all-in-one" solution for mass notification, one-touch lockdowns, silent panic alert activation, desktop and mobile alerts, digital checklists, live and pre-recorded announcements, 911 alerting, and more. Finding a trusted solution can be challenging, but Intrado Safety Suite can help your healthcare facility maintain a safe environment for both emergency and non-emergency needs.
To learn more about Intrado Safety Suite, visit https://www.intrado.com/enterprise-solutions/incident-management.
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