Hospital Visitor Restrictions
COVID-19 has created new visitor restrictions on patient visitors in hospitals across the country. Some hospitals are not permitting visitors unless exceptions are approved, and others have limited their restrictions to one visitor per patient. This has created a lot of challenges that are requiring hospitals and healthcare facilities to adapt instantaneously while the pandemic continues. While most facilities are encouraging virtual visits, we’ve got a few tips on how to manage visitors that appear on location.
Pre-Screen Visitors
Our visitor management software has been updated to meet these new COVID challenges. Instead of a visitor entering the facility to tell you they’ve recently been in contact with a COVID-positive person or have been experiencing COVID symptoms themselves, you can now screen this person before they enter the building. We’ve created a self-registration page that allows visitors to fill out a customized questionnaire. Recently, some of our hospital clients have printed a QR code and posted it outside with instructions for the visitor to follow when they come up to the front entrance. The visitor can scan the QR code and be taken directly to the self-registration page on their mobile device. If they answer all of the pre-screening questions correctly, they can be permitted to enter. If any questions are answered unsatisfactorily, they can be flagged and denied entrance to the building.
Visitor Tracking
If the visitor has a mask and is approved to enter, then they can walk right up to the visitor management kiosk to have their badge printed. This will let security and other personnel on the premises know they are approved to be there and have passed all the correct protocols. The dashboard shows who is currently on location and this can help with capacity limits and satisfy the one visitor per patient policy. Traditionally, paper logbooks would make this policy hard to comply with and add an extra burden on those in charge of handling visitor check-in.
Visitor Check-Out Process
Lastly, making sure a visitor checks out is an essential part of the visitor process. A visitor can use their badge to scan at a kiosk to check themselves out quickly and easily. Some ways to help increase the likelihood of a visitor following this step would include:
- Have numerous kiosks installed throughout the hospital main floor
- Have signs up reminding visitors to check out
- Hold onto to their ID at the front desk (applicable only in states where this doesn’t violate the law)
Visitor Restrictions Prevents the Spread of COVID-19
These have been challenging times for most of us, especially for healthcare workers. Visitor restrictions have been created not to burden patients or visitors, but to help keep them safe so visitations can continue. It is necessary to take certain precautions to protect families, workers, and the community as a whole. Mask wearing, pre-screening, and visitor tracking are just some of the ways hospitals are managing their visitors now to meet the COVID policy changes. Our visitor management software was created to help keep facilities safe and secure before COVID, and we’re here to help during the duration of the pandemic as well. Contact Veristream at 1-888-718-0807 or schedule a demo online to get started today.
