Analytics in Action: Increasing Hospital Situational Awareness

One Solution. Comprehensive Impact.

Recently, BriefCam has seen the rapid adoption of video analytics in healthcare organizations throughout the United States. Many hospitals are exploring video analytics solutions for enhanced security – like the quick identification of a bad actor or a “frequent flyer” – which are use cases that drive impact for creating safer hospital environments. But university medical centers, hospitals, and others seeking these advanced security solutions quickly realize that the value of their video surveillance investments can reach beyond the realm of safety and security to provide enhanced real-time situational awareness and comprehensive business intelligence to impact many areas of a healthcare organization.

Optimizing the Patient Journey

In recent years, patient experience has been a major area of focus for hospitals everywhere. As we continue to observe a massive shift in the realm of customer expectations, it was only a matter of time before the implications carried over into industries like healthcare and transportation. So, when hospital stakeholders realize their security technology upgrades can also be used to gather critical real-time awareness and business intelligence, they get excited about how the data can support the creation of an optimal patient journey.

Video analytics can also be used to inform hospital operations. For instance, while hospital cleaning schedules are time-based and somewhat anecdotal, video analytics empowers intelligent maintenance based on real-time situational awareness and historical data. Management can leverage video analytics data to understand traffic trends and then set a rule-based alert that triggers maintenance or cleaning whenever a certain amount of people have passed through an area. This not only ensures that high-traffic areas, bathrooms, and waiting areas maintain a high standard of hygiene, but also ensures that custodial staff uses their time most efficiently to deliver the greatest impact to the customer experience.

A New Healthcare Use Case

One of our hospital customers recently shared a creative application of our innovative technology; They are leveraging BriefCam to record entry and exit times for operating rooms. Historically, when a patient goes into an OR, the accompanying nurse must stop, leave the patient, and chart the entry time, repeating the process upon exit. This process not only takes time and disrupts critical workflows for medical staff but can impact continuity of care for the patient. But now, after integrating BriefCam with their existing video surveillance infrastructure, the hospital can easily gather entry and exit data without separating the nurse and patient, saving critical time, reducing procedural burden, and ensuring an optimal patient experience.

Flexible and Adaptable Healthcare Solutions

It’s exciting to see how BriefCam customers are exploring creative applications of our video analytics technology. While the above use case is not one I could have conjured, the beauty of intelligent technology is the magic that comes when it is placed in the hands of every stakeholder. What many people view as a traditional security solution is now being reimagined to enhance the patient experience, boost staff morale, and reduce processes for overburdened nurses to ensure that healthcare facilities everywhere are providing the best quality of care possible. This is the magic that keeps me excited about translating video into real-world impact.