Latin America. According to Francisco Ramírez, Country Manager for Mexico Central America and the Caribbean at Axis Communications, violence in the workplace continues to be a major concern worldwide and the health sector ecosystem is no exception.
A survey conducted by the International Association for Health Security (IAHSS) reported that the rate of violence in health care facilities increased by 25% from 2012 to 2013 and in the United States alone increased by 40%. In addition, the theft of hospital supplies and valuable equipment has become a frequent practice in many countries. It is estimated that more than 3,000 items regularly purchased by hospitals have domestic use and are at risk of being stolen, including medicines, medical equipment and other materials. This situation is rooted in several factors: the decreasing public funding directed to the sector and the cuts in resources that force patients with violent behaviors to be admitted to organizations that do not specialize in mental health, causing concerns and incidents. The reality is that institutions are already taking precautions, through technology, to make the protection of their patients and staff a priority.
Faced with this situation, video surveillance plays a fundamental role in solving the biggest challenges of the health industry. Just as the hotel industry uses cameras not only for security reasons, but also to improve the quality of customer service, health centers are gradually applying this concept through the use of network video, audio and access control technologies to improve their management and service. Consequently, health facilities that adopt a position of interest in the study and application of new technologies tend to be more suitable for the provision of better care and compliance with people's expectations. More than that, they allow you to reduce losses, identify risks in advance, and even continuously improve your equipment. The cameras, which previously served to compose the hospital's CCTV system, are being transformed into data capture and communication devices on the network. This communication can reinforce satisfaction and, above all, enable more automatic, safe and efficient processes.
Hospitals have begun to visualize video surveillance as a versatile tool within the IT network, along with other connected elements such as access control and sound systems, which are leading a technological transition. In the future, institutions will have cameras that will capture data continuously to assess risks, generate automatic alerts, streamline processes without human intervention, analyze and cross large volumes of data as a true brain governing the entire hospital operation.
On the other hand, both universities with careers in the area of health and technologically advanced medical centers and hospitals have resorted to network video to improve the training of students or provide continuing education to contracted professionals. That proposal is benefiting, for example, medical students in the city of London, in Canada, during the learning of their trade. They receive feedback on mistakes and successes in their work from high-resolution monitoring cameras and audio captured by microphone. It works like this: during a clinical simulation, students interact with actors posing as patients in situations requiring medical care. The teacher observes everything from the next room, and then shows the students their performance.
In terms of sector challenges, especially in hospitals and public clinics, one of the great challenges is to register the presence of professionals who, depending on the legislation, may not be required to make any active record of their presence on shift. One of the ways to solve these situations is the use of a facial recognition solution. Without any need for contact, the official will have his image captured at the access points to the hospital, with the respective record of day and time of arrival. The same points can have cameras that observe the exit, in the opposite direction. All videos are feasible to be investigated based on the name or other data of the officials.
To conclude, it is important to mention that the images captured by cameras in a hospital are sensitive in nature. Patients are physically and mentally fragile, and in some cases discretion about the patient's presence in the hospital is critical. It is up to the hospital to preserve it, and the video surveillance system to allow it. Axis products offer measures to protect content and respect regulations on data use and citizen privacy. This includes encryption technology, deactivation services and so-called privacy masks.
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