Hospital And Healthcare Security

The book I read to research this post was Hospital And Healthcare Security by Russell Colling which is an excellent book which read at http://safaribooksonline.com

I assumed this book was about electronic health records but while there is a chapter on IT security most of it looks at security in a physical sense with things like security guards and intrusion alarms. Some big hospitals might have 3,000 intrusion alarms so your security infrastructure is very complex. This book is done from an American perspective so for example they have a privacy law that limits how detailed a background check you can do on a prospective employee. 42% of the population in America have experimented with drugs which is crucial information ie if you are employing a nurse. One persistent problem hospitals get is people's cars not starting and you should a clear policy for your security personnel on this. After all they aren't a motor mechanic service. They may need a small van with things like a battery charger, tow rope & a spotlight in the back but in general they should me made to phone a garage and let them sort it out. Dummy cameras have no purpose in a hospital and can give victims of attacks a false sense of security which the hospital can subsequently be sued for. Many hospitals have a creche to help retain employees. Often the doors to and from the creche have card or electronic locks and sometimes parents are given access to the creche to leave or collect their children. Many creches don't give parents access to there and instead have an outer they can go in. They often have an outside playground and they recommend having at least a 6 foot fence all the way around. I must admit I enjoyed this book which I think is probably aimed at hospital managers and would be of interest to security guards.