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What is expected of visitors at your hospital?

by Paul Kazlauskas

Visitors come to your hospital for a specific reason. The most common, or course, is they are there to visit a sick or injured patient. However, the visitor could be a vendor on a sales call. The visitor could also be a contractor there to do a specific job within your hospital. No matter the type of visitor, they have their minds on the reason for their visit and not on what your facility’s security protocol might be.

As a Security Director with so many responsibilities, how do you communicate your facility’s visitor management security protocol to a person who may be distracted by the nature of their visit? There are a few ways to do this beyond placing a sign on the wall that contains all your rules and regulations (which should be done too). The key to success is incorporating important information in easy-to-find areas.

When visitors come into your healthcare facility, they should be processed using a visitor management system. Whether the visitor management system is electronic or manual, the visitor should be issued a visitor badge to wear while at your facility. The visitor badge and its accessories are great places to add details about your security protocol.

The visitor badge could have a Visitor Agreement message printed right on it. In this case, by accepting the badge, the visitor accepts a waiver of liability and/or confidentiality agreement regarding your security protocol. The visitor badge itself can be custom-printed with whatever security message you’d like. Having a Visitor Agreement/Limited Liability Statement on the visitor badge allows your hospital to clearly state what is expected of the visitor while on-site. This statement could include everything from protecting confidential information to limiting the organization’s liability for any injury while on the grounds. The healthcare facility has all its bases covered when they require visitors to sign this agreement (either manually or electronically) entering the facility.

Another popular idea involves the use of badge tags. These are plastic cards, worn with a strap clip or a lanyard, that carry the adhesive visitor pass instead of having it stuck directly to a visitor’s clothing. The badge tags can be custom-printed on their backside with your healthcare facility’s security protocols and emergency information. Many facilities print what is expected of visitors while on the grounds, emergency numbers, fire exits, and/or security director contact info on the back of the badge tag. If an emergency occurs, the necessary information a visitor might need is right on their person.

What other ways can Security Directors communicate security protocol to visitors who may not be paying attention? Please leave your ideas in the comments section below.

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Posted on 6/23/2016