Submitted by Sara Markle on Wed, 04/01/2020 – 11:55

Hospitals everywhere are finding it difficult to maintain a safe workplace during the current COVID-19 pandemic. With the rapid growth of the virus it is becoming increasingly crucial to maintain proper screening policies and safety precautions when allowing Visitors on-site. Having a Visitor Management Solution (VMS) can ensure that your Employees are being diligent when capturing essential information to control the spread of COVID-19.

Below is a compilation of trends & best practices being used by hospitals, healthcare facilities, pharmaceutical, biomedical and government agencies, to help manage visitor populations during this COVID-19 pandemic utilizing a Visitor Management Software solution.

Understand the Importance of Visitor Reporting

Security professionals are utilizing the reporting capabilities of their Visitor Management System to identify “visitors at risk” due to their whereabouts during their visit.

Manage Patient Restrictions

Internal Watch List capabilities in advanced Visitor Management solutions are proving to be extremely useful for managing Patient Restrictions. For example creating a watch list of “Coronavirus Quarantined Patients”, from there you can create a rule to “not allow visitors” to any patients on this list. You can send an automatic notification to internal staff and/or create a customized pop-up message regarding how to handle any Visitors to these Quarantined.

Policy Enforcement for Restricted Access Mandates

Many facilities are being mandated to go on restricted access regarding the number of visitors allowed to visit patients. This may include the number of people to each unit, the length of time they can stay, as well as the hours they can visit. You can enforce these corporate policies to ensure staff adheres to these mandates through your Visitor Management System.

Visitor Communication & Screening Policies

Configure your visitor management system to (1) provide clear communication of current policies during the outbreak, and (2) configure your workflow to prompt visitors to answer screening questions related to recent travel and current health status.

Visitor Data Collection Requirements

Collecting additional Visitor information during this time may be essential to plan ahead and be prepared for if you need to contact a Visitor that could have been in contact with an infected person.

Begin Badging the Outpatient Visitor Population

Outpatients can be managed easier than ever utilizing pre-registration and issue these Visitors a badge when they arrive on-site.

Consider Advanced Badging Options

Using self-registration for visitor check-in can further reduce risk. With the reduced workforce many facilities are dealing with, setting up self sign-in areas can be extremely helpful. Self-registration allows visitors to avoid interaction with a physical person.

Enhanced Access Control for Complete Visitor Audit Trail

Integrating with your Access Control System can allow you to grant or deny Visitors access based on the Visitor category or destination, from there you can have a complete audit trail for every Visitor at your facility.

Enable Visitor Self-Registration

Using self-registration for visitor check-in can further reduce risk. With the reduced workforce many facilities are dealing with, setting up self sign-in areas can be extremely helpful. Self-registration allows visitors to avoid interaction with a physical person.

Institute Visitor Pre-Registration and Pre-Approval

While more and more workforces are being forced to work remotely, pre-registration for all visitors prior to arriving at your facility is more important than ever. Allow your employees to manage visitors remotely via the web to pre-register visitors prior to arriving on premises. 

During this crisis, it’s more important than ever for healthcare security professionals to have greater knowledge and control over who enters their facility and to take mitigating actions that can potentially minimize virus spread.