Security issues in your facility..how do they work, are they enough?

stidget99 · Apr 12, 2005

I am so sorry that you had to go thru this! What a scary thought. At my small hospital, there is no security. Ppl come and go as they please, Thankfully, nothing like this has happened.................yet. Good luck to you.

ValerieB · Apr 12, 2005

I've just read the link about an intruder stabbing a RN. My facility, an inner city, poorly located one, has the poorest security I've witnessed in my career (5 facilities). I've had a hell of an event and I really need your input, please bear with me.
Although I'm in an ICU, it is no different from the floors, so this is NOT ICU specific and PLEASE let's not turn this into a visitation thread, please.
My ICU is not a locked unit, my first experience with this. the ER is the only area that has lock released doors. After 8pm, this is the only open enterance into the facility. Security starts and stops here, they let you in, or they don't.
long story short, a young pt. with "no warning" arrives at deaths door, intubated, all systems shutting down, codes multiple times... Husband, who is suspected of poisening her (no evidence... the screen will take 72 hrs) refuses to come in, leaves the 18 yr old daughter to deal with the scene, has never come to the hospital. (only inpatient 18 hrs. )
After the umpteenth code, death is pronounced after 1am, the daughter informed and all 20 plus visitors leave and never come back to view the body once "cleaned up". So I leave the pt. there and call the daugter to alert her the Medical examiner will take the pt. once cleared, the transportation to a funeral home can be arranged. The ME is on the way to pick up pt by 6am, I leave the body as I'm catching up and have an admit on the way.
Husband, daughter and two new men show up unannounced by security at 330 in the am. They just waltz right in the unit. Husband states he doesn't want to see the wife, just wants to be here. Well 15 minutes later, they're all just standing there, looking around watching the staff. hair on the back of my neck stands up (never has before in my life and I think "I'm gonna die" (out of nowhere). I tell the charge, they're acting funny, "casing the place, watching". She agrees they look suspicious and calls security.
Our expert security argues with her "why don't you just ask them to leave?" we insist they come up (this is during breaks and only 4 nurses are present) Charge explaines thier drunkeness (forgot to add ealier) and strange behavior and tells 'em to get here now. So stupid me approaches the group saying "is there anything I can do, can I move you to a private room etc" (how can I get you the hell outta here) Husband shouts... "I wanna see what you're gonna do with her I'm not moving", I explain, he screams "you're not taking her to the examiner... we're creamating her"..security shows up, all hell breaks loose.
The group, aside from a screaming daughter, jumped security, we called a code, 911 and an overhead "all available staff to ....... stat" (which has never been done before).... The group was subdued... they had knives, various weapons (no guns thank fricken god). City cops show up, take 'em all in. I've got 10,000 forms to fill out, restraining orders recommended on an 0n.
My point here is that we would have died and been a simple thread like the one I read here. Have had two meetings with the head of security since. We have no visitation/ security policies. Someone in security let these loosers in. The unit is not locked and "THE BUDGET" is being blamed for that... everyone is covering their butts and no one wants to fix the problem that 3 drunken, worrysome looking folk just walked into the ER got past security carrying weapons and I could have died.
I have already utilized the union for the meetings, threatened the federal safe workplace laws and am getting nowhere. I've now threatened legal action (which I can't afford) to ensure that simply policies of announcing any family member with photo ID, are called in to the prospective unit prior to the ER security buzzing them in to entry (to have access to the entire hospital). The administration thinks I'm nuts. (need the ID since I have a restraining order on these folk now... long story)
yeah I know leave... but this is not a facility issue, but an area mindset and no other facilities differ... so lets fix the problem.
How would security in your facilty acted to have prevented this situation.... Please provide this info, knowing that I will print out every example to show that what I'm suggesting is not out of the norm.....
Please help me fix this, your words really may make a HUGE difference in our staffs safety. Thanks for your time. please no visitor beefs, today I feel I own the rights for it, just need your current security practices to make a difference, or share a policy as to how people get "in" at 3 am" ... please help cuz I'm fixin this mess.

I work in a community hospital on a med surg floor. I know that we have a security office right in the ER also and there is a gaurd there 24 hours a day. That might be something your facility should have. Also the doors to the actual treatment areas have to be opened by the person sitting at the desk so you can't just walk back there. I hope this helps. That incident would have traumatized me for sure. Good luck.

SmilingBluEyes · Apr 12, 2005

I admire you wanting to "pull it together" to fix this. What a horrendous incident. Seems to me, same shoddy security exists everywhere. Our hospital is not much different and it seems to take someone being permanently injured or worse for anything to change. I have much the same concerns as you, even though I work in a "locked down" OB unit. The security or "lock down" is only as safe as the weakest link, which is all of us. I have no solid solutions, but it may take legal action on your part to make it all change. I doubt admin will feel moved to do much, as they were not personally affected and the offenders were "subdued" and the situation brought under control (so to speak). I just wish to extend you my support and I wish we would have more solidarity regarding these issues. It's gonna take a lot of hurt and killed staff I fear, before any real change is effected, absent serious legal action by indivduals who are harmed. I wish you the best my friend.

Karen, any ideas????

Antikigirl, ASN, RN · Apr 12, 2005

A hospital would be a bit harder to secure than my facility for sure, but I work in a huge assisted living facility. It has two large buildings attached to eachother and has over 470 rooms together. People use to come and go with no security what so ever till 9-11. Then they tightened the rules a bit!

One, break ins in our employee parking lot skyrocketed! We begged the admin for a security camera and they said no!?! They just thought getting parking passes would help! Well, so far so good because men from maintenance go through and check cars 4 times a day at different times of day...so no break ins so far, but we were having at least 5 a week before! Including night shifts where you have to walk a great distance on your own in the dark! But it did seem to detour the probelm for now.

Next they went to security pass keys. Those electronic cards to get into the facility. All residents have one, sign other out for family, and all employees have them as well. That has really helped. All doors must be activiated by the pass key except the two main doors which are open during regular hours. However, both these doors have reception desks and all must sign in and state where they are going. They are thinking of having visitor nametags, which I think is a good idea because many folks come in and are questioned by multiple people about their destination...LOL! Just seeing grandma and getting the third degree from staff! LOL! But that's security for ya!

These have helped our facility, but I am not sure how well it would do in hospital! We can't use metal detectors because of so many walkers/wheelchairs and such...darn thing would go off all the darned time. We don't have a 'security' team, usually it is the maintenance guys...but us nurses do it too.

On the weekends it is normally just us nurses, and there is only one per shift. That gets scary if someone comes in with a weapon...it will be me that has to get them out of there, or call 9-11. I have thought about it much, and it gives me goosebumps. I fear that some disgruntaled boyfriend of a staff memeber, or upset family member will some day come in (and of course during the weekend! UHGGGGG), and I will be no more! But I just think...it can happen in a shopping mall, grocery store, post office, in my car, or even in my own home...so just keep a keen eye, and do your best to lower the risks....

I hope you are able to make a change! That sure as heck was one scary situation!!!!!!!

CritterLover, BSN, RN · Apr 13, 2005

wow. and i thought our security was bad.

there are two threads in the er section that you should read. one is called "the first person you meet," the other is something to the effect of "the crud you er nurses put up with." those might not be the exact titles, but they are not very old and you should be able to find them within a page or two if you look. both have some security-related content, some of which i was thinking about taking to our administrators as policies to aim for.

currently, all of our doors except for the er enterence are locked after 9pm. the front door is the door that ob patient/visitors are supposed to go in through (though they often come to the er instead). the front door has an after-hours door bell/intercom for ob patients so they can be buzzed in, but is otherwise locked 9pm-5am. visitors to the other areas of the hospital come in through the er after 9pm. they announce themselves to the registration clerk, who will call the unit they want to visit and check to see if they may. if they are allowed to visit (and outside of icu, they are rarely told "no"), we then call security for an escort. supposedly, no one is allowed to walk around the hospital after hours unless they are a patient (with an armband), or an employee (with an id). visitors are supposed to be escorted at all times. some hospitals in our system require visitor passes after hours due to the large size of the hospitals and limited number of security personnel to escort people. sometimes i wish we had visitor passes as well, but they are easily "traded" between family members, so i question their usefulness. however, we are not in a very "nice" part of town, and housekeeping often finds unexpected "guests" camping out in bathrooms, offices, etc at night. still, i doubt that a visitor's pass (or lack of) would help as most of these "guests" are fairly well-known to us.

in general, we have 2-3 security personnel on duty at all times. we are a fairly small hospital, but i don't think this is enough. i also don't think they are aggressive enough (if that is the phrase i am looking for) at times. i don't think that our hospital has our safety and security as a top priority, though, and i am afraid it is going to take something like what happened to you (or worse) to cause a change.

i believe that all icus/stepdown units should be locked, with cameras outside the doors to show who wants to come in. there should be at least one security officer present in the er waiting room at all times, and at lest 2 others on patrol throughout the hospital (more depending on the size of the facility). but even that is not enough. i'm very interested to see what others have to say.

i'm so sorry this happened to you.

live4today, RN · Apr 13, 2005

((((heart queen)))) I'm so glad you and the other staff weren't injured. I don't blame you for staying on top of the hospital to get them to do something about situations like that so it doesn't happen again.

It all seems to boil down to money no matter how you slice it. Visitors come and go any hour of the day or night, and that should be stopped for the protection of the patients and staff who are there taking care of the patients.

We live in a money hungry society, and businesses will do anything to bring in the dough even if it means placing their employees at risk, and other patients at risk.

Did you write to your State Congressman yet?