FRAMINGHAM, Mass., Oct. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Rave Mobile Safety (Rave), a trusted partner for safety software protecting millions of individuals, today released key findings from its 2018 survey, Emergency Preparedness and Security Trends in Healthcare after polling hundreds of healthcare safety leaders across the United States.

The survey results, which will be revealed in a webinar on Thursday, October 25, examined the current and most pressing emergency concerns for hospitals and healthcare facilities. Specific building emergencies, such as fire drills, are priorities, but the responses from these professionals unearthed discrepancies about what emergencies and adverse events actually occur and the preparedness plans healthcare facilities have in place.

"Hospitals and healthcare organizations greatly contribute to the well-being of others and emergency communications and preparedness are a very important part of their operations," said Todd Miller, COO of Rave Mobile Safety. "The healthcare industry is undergoing many changes. Mergers and acquisitions, as well as the decentralization of hospitals and healthcare facilities into smaller outpatient and acute-care facilities, are changing how the healthcare industry operates. Healthcare professionals must think about how this will affect security and emergency preparedness across their organizations,"
Highlights from the survey include:

Safety concerns at hospitals and healthcare facilities don't reflect actual emergencies reported

The Emergency Preparedness and Security Trends in Healthcare survey found that the daily emergency incidents healthcare organizations experience doesn't correspond to the biggest safety concerns respondents reported. The three most pressing safety issues cited are severe weather (36 percent), active shooter incidents (34 percent), and cyberattacks (32 percent). However, 93 percent did not experience an active shooter incident in the last two years. In fact, the most common day-to-day incidents they experience are system outages (54 percent), closely followed by weather-related events (53 percent).

When it comes to fire drills, 60 percent of respondents conduct them every quarter, even though only 18 percent had a serious fire-related incident within the last two years. These drills are especially helpful to ensure a smooth approach to any actual emergency.

"During times of crisis, patients, employees and the larger community expect hospitals to maintain operations without any interruption," said Kevin McGinty, safety and emergency management coordinator at Middlesex Hospital in Middlesex, Conn. "An emergency communications process that operates smoothly, quickly and with minimal intervention is key. Maintaining a common operating picture, especially with geographically separate facilities, is critical during events."

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