Got “smart surveillance” in your healthcare facility?
That may not be the first question that comes to mind when considering the growing role of AI in healthcare, but an increasing number of providers are turning to technologies such as “AI-infused video surveillance” as they work to manage access to, and security for, their organizations.
As a recent article at Security Magazine sums up the trend, “(w)ith technologies such as smart cameras and IoT platforms to better manage field level operations, healthcare organizations are seeing the possibility of a more streamlined, efficient and cost-effective way to manage their facilities,” particularly as access policies shift repeatedly during the pandemic.
There are a number of ways AI can enhance both facility security and patient privacy, the article notes. For example, when it comes to patient privacy, “AI-enabled smart cameras can help improve patient privacy. As sensitive health data is often displayed on computer screens, smart video analytics can employ privacy mask applications that can hide a configurable set of objects, such as laptops, keyboards and people in video. This also allows for enhanced monitoring of elderly and dementia patients in their rooms, without violating their privacy.
In addition, smart surveillance cameras can reduce the occurrence of patient falls, always a risk organizations want to reduce, “by detecting spills when they occur, enabling staff to take immediate action and preventing a potential fall. (In addition,) “(f)all detection enables IoT cameras to monitor and analyze the behavior of patients, visitors and staff in real-time, while using AI video analytics to automatically detect whether a person stands upright, lies on the floor or remains seated.”
Beyond patient care, there’s plenty AI can do in more conventional security terms. For example, “(f)or large hospitals with multiple parking garages, smart surveillance can prevent parking violations by providing real-time parking protection for gateless parking lots or detecting unauthorized parking, minor accidents or potential break-ins in real-time and alert security as needed. The same devices can also be used to detect the obstruction of driveways that may cost approaching ambulances critical seconds.”
There’s also no shortage of tasks AI can assume when it comes to general security concerns. As the writer notes, any “hospital environment is burdened with complex inherent risks, not the least of which is the prevention and early detection of smoke and fire, which can cause devastating damage in healthcare facilities where many people are gathered in confined spaces or are bed-ridden.”
The bottom line, the writer concludes, is that as “requirements for safety and security in healthcare become increasingly complex, due to stricter legal and pandemic regulations, AI-enabled smart cameras can help healthcare organizations increase patient and employee confidence, reduce risk-related costs and help to optimize operational processes.”