Controlled substances, such as narcotics in small vials, can be a challenge to secure at healthcare facilities. Staff need regular access through a system that is simple, secure, and accountable.
Controlling Access
Proper cabinet and drawer construction enable security teams and administrators to provide a safe storage location for narcotics. Traditional lock systems keep unauthorized hands out of the narcotics drawer or cabinet. With a traditional lock, a physical key needs to be created and issued to every authorized staffer. While this ensures only authorized personnel posses a key initially, numerous challenges quickly develop.
When a key is lost, the lock and all existing keys must be replaced. This is a logistical nightmare and costly in terms of time and hardware. And a physical key doesn’t have to be lost, it can also be mishandled or copied. If a key is copied, there’s no way to know when it is used or who used it. Control is lost.
Access Control
With a wireless electronic cabinet lock, cabinets, drawers, and lockers can be secured, access-controlled, and reliably logged. The wireless lock is enrolled in the access control system in the same way that a door to a secure office is added to the access control system. Authorized personnel are given access to the cabinet by programming the appropriate level of access into their card credential. The card credential usually doubles as their employee ID card too.
With this system in place, access to the narcotics cabinet is logged 24-7-365. But, it doesn’t end there. How do administrators know what was taken out once the door was opened?
Integration with Video Surveillance
With an access control connected lock in place, video surveillance cameras can be assigned to the specific wireless lock. Overview cameras and a camera placed inside the cabinet will record video and link recordings to the access control log file for review or post-incident investigation.
For example, a high-resolution panoramic camera may be placed above the area where the cabinet is accessed. Investigators will have a view of anyone approaching and opening the cabinet. A small camera in the cabinet can monitor the selection and handling of the medications to verify which specific vials are removed. If the medications are in a slide-out drawer, the high-resolution camera directly above the open drawer can record vial handling. Cameras not only record activity, but also verify the identity of the card credential user.
Investigation Time Savings
When narcotic security is integrated with the access control solution, investigation time is dramatically reduced. Video recordings are tagged with the same time and date stamp as the access control log. Each access control incident is logged automatically, and related video is retrievable for immediate review.
Professional Security Partner
The vision team can coordinate the installation and integration of all required locking devices. They’ll handle software programming too. A variety of lock systems can be deployed to guarantee the highest level of security and accountability for any type of drawer, cabinet, or locker your organization prefers.
In addition to a solution that is tailored to your organization’s specific needs, Vision Security Technologies offers a customizable maintenance and service plan that keeps integrated systems running optimally. The Vision Investment Protection plan, like your system, can grow and change with your organization. Together, you’ll uncover potential problems before they arise. Additionally, Vision Investment Protection provides on-site and remote response, safeguarding your investment and securing your facility.
Vision has full-time, highly skilled electrical engineers and AutoCAD professionals on staff. Our team can provide planned drawings, riser diagrams, and as-built diagrams in both electronic and hard copy formats for every project. We provide complete network installations, maintenance, database conversions, software installations, and upgrades. Our engineers have both Cisco and Microsoft certifications.
Contact the Vision team now to discuss the benefits of properly and professionally securing your organization.
