Medical facilities, such as hospitals, pharmacies or doctor’s offices, must be extremely cautious when storing equipment and medicine.
Without proper protection in place, medication and medical equipment can fall into the wrong hands. If medication is consumed without medical guidance or if equipment is used inaccurately, this can leave your business, patients and employees in danger and at a loss, not to mention legal ramifications.
Below we overview how medical facilities can provide extra protection for areas containing medicine or medical equipment (e.g. cabinets, storage rooms, carts).
Fend Off Burglars and Environmental Hazards
Your facility’s medicine and equipment, such a prescription drugs, laboratory materials and monitors, are extremely valuable and sometimes dangerous when not used properly.
They need a high level of protection.
Avoid theft by employees or patients or damage from environmental hazards by installing monitored alarms where items are frequently stored.
Some monitored alarms to consider are:
- Burglar alarms.
- Fire/smoke detectors.
- Carbon monoxide detectors.
- Water sensors.
Although installing monitored alarms can help increase security measures, equipment must be installed properly first. If you need assistance setting up monitored alarms to ensure you and your Monitoring Center are able to receive notifications, work with your vendor for professional installation.
Limit Access to Necessary Individuals
Not every individual will need access to medical supply storage, so ensure that you are granting access to only necessary personnel. Individuals that have access to storage areas (e.g. cabinets, storage rooms, carts) should have proper knowledge of their contents, so no equipment or medicine is misused or misplaced.
Consider keeping tabs on individuals coming and going with the following security equipment:
- Access control devices (e.g. biometric readers, key cards, swipe readers). These will allow you to assign each individual a specific form of identification so you can determine who is accessing storage areas at all times.
- Image sensors. Have the ability to instantly detect if someone has accessed or entered a restricted storage area, no matter where you are.
- Video surveillance cameras. Place cameras outside storage area entryways, as well as inside, to ensure authorized personnel are the only ones entering—and acting appropriately while inside.
Also, consider using mobile solutions via smartphone, tablet or laptop to receive notifications if any of these systems are triggered.
Keep Storage at Optimal Temperatures
Different types of medication and medical supplies will require specific temperature and humidity levels to avoid spoilage, contamination or dangerous chemical reactions. Keep an eye style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);" target="_blank" on room conditions by utilizing smart thermostats in your medical storage areas.
Smart thermostats will allow you and other facility professionals to control settings remotely. Adjust temperature levels or set them to your preferred settings throughout specific times during the day and receive alerts if there are rises or drops.
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