The need for better security has become a top priority for many hospitals in recent years as aggravated assaults and other violent crimes in the healthcare setting continue to rise, with providers and staff members frequently targeted.

According to the 2023 annual Health Crime Survey by the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS) Foundation, which tracks healthcare industry security and safety measures, hospital staff were the intended victims in 83% of all aggravated assaults, which accounted for 78% of violent crime incidents, in 2022.

Of the 192 respondents surveyed, 65% described efforts to recruit and retain security personnel as difficult or very difficult, compared to 14% who said it was easy or very easy. Those who found it challenging, on average, had 10 security personnel per 100 beds, compared to 7.7 among those who did not, indicating that increases in staffing may be the reason why hiring and maintaining a full security team has been so challenging.

Stacy Dean Stephens is the co-founder, EVP, and chief client officer for Knightscope, a security and robotics company headquartered in Mountain View, California that designs autonomous security robots (ASRs) to perform security and surveillance tasks. Powered by AI, these self-driving solutions use an array of sensors to patrol and surveil healthcare facilities and other areas for potential threats. When one is identified, the robot relays automatic real-time alerts to a security operations center or designated hospital administrators who can address the risk.

“Examples of potential threats include people in places where they should not be or at times of day when there should be no one present; known threats like terminated employees or people to whom a criminal trespass warning has been issued; or even domestic abusers attempting to contact their victims at a place of employment,” Stephens told HCB News.

Knightscope ASRs have 360-degree vision and night vision capabilities and make high-definition recordings that are accessible for up to 30 days. Additionally, machine learning continuously improves the software program, reducing margins of error over time.

Two other recently added features include Automated Gunshot Detection, for identifying gunshots indoors or outdoors in less than two seconds and tracing bullets within two meters of where shots occurred; and the Blue Light Emergency Phone system, which requires no infrastructure to operate.

“Knightscope has a major healthcare provider in California that averaged two criminal activities a week on their property prior to deploying its ASR. In the first year, the client reported a 100% reduction in those activities, and they continue to renew their annual contract annually,” said Stephens.

Numerous researchers recorded increases in attacks during the pandemic, leading healthcare facilities to invest in various resources to help mitigate or prevent violence. One Missouri Hospital equipped its physicians, nurses, and staff members with panic buttons after seeing assaults rise from 40 to 123 in one year.

According to the IAHSS Foundation Crime Survey, attacks are still on the rise, with simple assaults, which were around 10 incidents per 100 beds between 2012 and 2019, now more than double that number. Disorderly conduct is also increasing, having been above 52 incidents per 100 beds in each of the past two years.

Stephens stresses that ASRs are not meant to be a replacement for security personnel but to help amplify security protocols that providers have in place and ensure faster responses to risks or threats.