According to the June 2010 Joint Commission Sentinel Event Alert on preventing violence in healthcare:
"Because hospitals are open to the public around the clock every day of the year, securing the building and grounds presents specific challenges…the Emergency Department is typically the hardest area to secure."
HSS, the leading security provider to hospitals and the healthcare industry, launched ED-Safe™ in 2009 to help providers secure their Emergency Departments with a practical, proactive violence prevention and mitigation program.
The ED-Safe program has five components:
| Environmental Controls | Includes a "door in to door out" risk assessment of the physical design of your ED. |
| Policies and Practices | Evaluates the effectiveness of policies and practices designed to protect your ED, including patient through-put/visitor privileges, at-risk admissions, patient searches, and security plan. |
| Training | Trains all ED staff, from medical staff, EMTs, and security to social services, food service, and clergy. Builds a stronger team, confident and prepared to assume proactive ownership of their work environment. |
| Response Plan | Uses a simple green-yellow-red visual recognition system that makes it easy for staff to recognize, understand, react to, and manage violent events. |
| Measurement | Determines the return on your ED-Safe investment by measuring changes in time lost to injuries, ED staff turnover, and more. |
ED-Safe is a proven program that has been working at a major Upper Midwest Level One trauma center since October 2007—and has been adopted by numerous hospitals since its introduction.
With ED-Safe, you can develop a plan that enables your ED staff to safely manage violence and aggression without diminishing patient care. Contact HSS at ED-Safe@hss-us.com.