Security Issues in Hospitals and Nursing Homes: Security Management in Hospitals and Nursing Homes

With respect to security issues and management in hospitals and nursing homes, one must ask how safe are patients? The second area of concern becomes that of the health and safety of the employees, professional and non-professional, who are employed there. Security management in hospitals and nursing homes is becoming increasingly problematic in our era, because of the growing number of issues and concerns. Addressing and resolving them may not be easy. 

Identifying any area of concern, leads to the question of whether there are appropriate solutions that will ultimately lead towards effective resolution. To work towards a goal like this, involves identification of problematic issues or areas of concern.

Why are these kinds of problems occurring at this time?

There are many reasons why there is an increase in security issues in hospitals and nursing homes. This article will address some of them.

Increased population:

The increase in population on a global basis, is placing more and more demands on hospitals and nursing homes everywhere, as well as creating increased security problems for them, related to the large numbers of people needing appropriate, long and short-term health care.

Socioeconomic problems:

Many of the security problems in hospitals and nursing homes relate directly or indirectly to social-economic problems, resulting from rising unemployment and growing levels of poverty in many communities. What affects a community also affects its hospitals and nursing homes. It is difficult for a community where there is high unemployment and poverty to sustain a hospital or nursing home or to maintain its security.

Increased cost of health care:

Everywhere, the cost of health care is continually rising, creating fewer viable options for people who previously have been able to pay for their health care, as well as severely limiting the health care of the majority of people who cannot afford it at all. Ideally, everyone should be able to receive proper health care. Those who cannot afford health care may place others in hospitals and nursing homes at risk. For example, those not treated for diseases that are running rampant can endanger the lives of others.

Decreased number of health care workers:

With the increasing cost of health care, there are fewer professional and non-professional health care workers employed by hospitals and nursing homes. This immediately puts patients, as well as professional and non-professional health care workers, at risk of accidents and injury, because of the increased workload. For example, patients not adequately supervised have a greater number of falls and injuries. Nurses may have an increased number of back injuries.

Lack of facilities:

Many communities do not have adequate health care facilities, either hospitals or nursing homes. Where there is a lack of facilities, those needing hospitalization may not be able to find appropriate care. Some patients receive care in their own homes through community nursing agencies, family members, friends or other non-professional caregivers. Other patients obtain care elsewhere in other parts of the country, at times, placing those facilities at risk in terms of their own security.

Emergency department overload:

Many people needing health care wind up in the emergency departments of hospitals, creating an emergency department overload leading to related health, safety and security issues. In many hospitals, the hallways and storage rooms are full of stretchers, patients waiting for care or for available beds. In order to find beds, other patients in the hospital may have to go home prematurely and are thus, at risk. Some sent to nursing home facilities may not receive adequate treatment.

Social behavior issues:

Every community has growing social behavior issues with serious concerns related to alcohol, drug and substance abuse. There is the resulting trend to violence, as well as riots and protests. This trend affects hospitals, particularly their emergency departments. Policing of hospitals and nursing homes is necessary in some facilities in order to ensure the safety of patients and staff.

Shortage of beds:

Inside every hospital and nursing home, there are growing numbers of people with serious, health-related problems, who require long-term care and must remain hospitalized. In many places, this results in a severe shortage of hospital and nursing home beds. The facilities that exist are often inadequate and over-crowded. Having too many patients in a hospital or nursing home not equipped for that volume of patients, places everyone at risk.

Rising cost of education and training:

Part of the reason for the shortage of doctors and nurses on every level, has to do with the continually rising cost of education and training. Health care professionals are often reluctant to go to remote areas to work, knowing that the facilities are less than ideal. If they do so, they are usually aware that there may be high security risks for their patients, as well as themselves.

Cut backs in non-professional staff:

Cut backs in non-professional staff in hospitals and nursing homes, lead to health and safety issues related to cleanliness, increasing the risk of infection.

Security management is a growing issue in hospitals and nursing homes everywhere.

Yes, there are possible solutions, but many of them require transitions that can and will occur in time as overall health care changes, in accordance with other legislation introduced. Security analysis is only a starting point for change, when problems are recognized and addressed.

For communities, being aware of the reasons why there are increasing security risks in hospitals and nursing homes, is only the first step towards effective resolution. It may take the combined efforts of many individuals, community members and other local agencies or groups to ensure the security of their hospital and nursing home patients and staff members. That is only one of the possible options.

Protection of patients and health care workers is everyone’s responsibility.