Keeping track of hospital keys is one of the most important security initiatives for every healthcare organization. Lost and misplaced keys can be a catastrophic security risk for hospitals. In addition to limiting access to sensitive, expensive equipment and essential medicines, key control and key management assist in minimizing risk and improving the customer experience in hospitals.
Also read: What is Automatic Key Control System | All You Need to Know
Why Key Control is Critical in Hospitals and Healthcare Settings
In a healthcare environment where patient safety, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency are top priorities, hospital key control is not just a convenience — it’s a necessity. Lost or misplaced keys can jeopardize patient care, compromise controlled substances, and increase liability risks.
A hospital key management system streamlines the tracking and access of keys to critical areas, ensuring only authorized personnel gain entry. In the subsequent sections, we will examine why hospital key control is important.
Securely Manage Drugs and Controlled Substances
It is critical to protect controlled substances and medications from theft. Key management systems help protect access to medicine storage and dispensing areas, including opiates and other highly controlled substances while maintaining accurate records of who had access and when.
Through key tracking notifications, management can be more certain that only authorized personnel have access to these materials within the healthcare facility. Implementing key control also helps hospitals adhere to compliance regulations.
Also read: What is the KeyWatcher Touch System?
Risk Mitigation for Vehicle Fleets
With healthcare fleets including ambulances and other rescue vehicles requiring efficient and speedy deployment, it’s crucial that keys get into the hands of drivers quickly and are protected against theft between runs.
CASE STUDY: Bell Ambulance Company
It’s time-consuming and expensive to replace today’s intelligent vehicle ignition keys, and often requires a rekeying of the vehicle itself, which results in unaffordable downtime and cost. Key management ensures that only the vehicle drivers can access the fleet keys, and can provide notifications when keys are removed and replaced.
Also read: Government & Military Key Access Control
Protect Expensive Medical Equipment
Healthcare requires the use of a great deal of expensive and delicate equipment. Key management ensures that only authorized technicians have access to hazardous areas like x-ray and radiation treatment rooms, and protects the facility from liability with notifications when keys are removed. Installing a key management system lowers the risk of having to replace costly equipment and protects facilities from liability if this equipment is damaged or an unauthorized individual is injured.
Reduce the Risk of Elopements
Hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare facilities are often expansive campuses with multiple wards and buildings, each with different staff and equipment. Many of these campuses have wards that are secured against patient elopement. Controlling the keys to these areas helps to protect at-risk patients, as well as to protect the facility from liability.
Protecting high-value asset storage
Doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff often need to secure belongings, both personal and company-owned, before entering sterile or hazardous areas. Healthcare facilities can keep track of crucial mobile equipment by installing asset management to augment their storage systems. By installing key management systems, users can ensure that their belongings are only accessed by themselves or other permitted users, and they are notified if other access is attempted.
Implementing a key control and management system can benefit hospitals and healthcare facilities in many ways, helping them maintain focus on what matters most.
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