Enhancing Hospital Safety

Case Study: Improving Duress Response and Security Staffing in Healthcare

Project Summary

This Agile project, conducted for a long-term client, aimed to enhance healthcare security staffing and duress response workflows. By leveraging iterative sprints, the team investigated current workflows, data needs, escalation protocols, and communication strategies to improve the effectiveness of duress response and facilitate better collaboration between security and clinical staff.

Project Focus Areas

Security Staffing

We examined staffing practices to assess their impact on duress response. The objective was to identify key adjustments to support rapid, coordinated actions during emergencies.

Duress Response Workflow

This area involved evaluating the current response process to address pain points, especially for clinical staff indirectly involved in duress events. A proposed workflow visual aid was developed and validated to ensure operational needs were effectively met.

Duress Data Reporting

Our team identified essential data requirements to enable informed decision-making around duress events, focusing on metrics and outcomes that support data-driven response optimization.

Duress Escalation

We outlined and refined duress escalation criteria and processes to ensure that clear protocols are established for managing high-stakes situations.

Secondary Responders

Roles and responsibilities of secondary responders were reviewed to clarify and streamline their tasks, enhancing their efficiency in response situations.

Communications and Notifications

Notification protocols were refined to specify tailored alerts for various staff types during escalated duress situations, focusing on clear information, language, and delivery methods for timely and relevant communication.

Methods

The study involved 1:1 interviews and usability studies, providing firsthand insights from staff on current workflows, communication processes, and existing challenges.

Deliverables

The final deliverables included an executive report with findings and recommendations, along with journey maps illustrating current and improved workflows. These tools offer actionable insights to enhance duress response and optimize security staffing in healthcare, supporting informed decision-making and operational improvement.