Accelerated by the pandemic, health care has changed significantly over the last few years, in areas including telemedicine, insurance, drug affordability, demand for talent and focus on the patient experience. Health care environments are unique, as they must provide for various conditions and offer healing environments ideal for patients with varying needs. Life safety and cleanliness have elevated and been prioritized significantly more than they were pre-COVID. Beyond PPE and touchless technology, many facilities have implemented technology and safety measures aimed at protecting people and physical assets.
To better understand these trends and how health care facilities have evolved, Allegion conducted survey with input from 100 decision makers across leading U.S. health systems including Ascension Health, HCA Healthcare, John Hopkins Medicine and Kaiser Permanente. The team conducted a similar survey in 2016, which provides a nice benchmark for recent developments around electronic access control adoption, which was on the rise before 2020. Over the last five years specifically, electronic usage has evolved, and there are more accommodations for patients with disabilities and behavioral health conditions.
Let’s take a closer look at these shifts and where the industry is heading.
A Look at Pandemic Pain Points
The past few years changed how the health care industry operates and will have a long-term impact on design, strategies and processes in place. Facilities had to become adaptable and resilient to keep pace with the influx of patients, new regulations and infection control protocols. A majority of health care professionals cited at least one way that COVID-19 impacted their organization's infrastructure needs and plans. In response, 73% of facilities added extra layers of security, 59% added touchless technology at openings and 62% electrified openings with access control.
Increased Demand for Infection Control
This article originally appeared in the July / August 2022 issue of Campus Security & Life Safety.
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