System integration in hospitals vital

SARS, West Nile Virus, increased violence and the threat of power failure have all impacted on both the need for security and its implementation. Healthcare facilities need to protect staff, patients, equipment, records and drugs, while maintaining a welcoming atmosphere. Ten years ago, a hospital might have had alarms, stationary video cameras and staff photo ID tags. Today, the list would include elevator lock-off, magnetic door locks, high output alarms, CCTV, IP-based cameras, event-activated video, smart cards and readers, patient wandering control, Voice over IP intercoms, duress alarms, asset management and tracking, perimeter control, and the central command station wiring and systems to tie it all together and make it work.

Up-to-date
Let us visit a hospital with an up-to-date security system. A nurse approaches the nursery in the maternity ward and the photo ID card’s microchip signals the receiver at the door, allowing access. On entry, the door locks. Picking up a newborn, the chip in the baby’s bracelet signals a receiver in the ceiling. The radio signal is backed up by infrared and ultrasound signals. If the bracelet is forcibly removed from the baby, an alarm sounds.

As the nurse enters the hallway en route to the mother’s room, someone grabs the baby and runs for the door to the stairs. When the person pushes the door, the delayed egress lock sounds an alarm and the nearest video camera swings around to the location of the alarm. All the doors lock magnetically, while the event-activated camera follows the action. The picture is instantly transmitted to the command centre computer, where an indicator shows the location of the incident on a building plan, alerting security personnel. The incident is also registered in the computer database and automatically printed out for the record.