Providing health care during a home visit with a patient presents risks that might not be in a clinic or regular health care setting. Lone healthcare workers manage patients alone, without relying on co-workers for help. They require work alone monitoring. While most home care settings feel safe, safety hazards could include:
- Visiting neighbourhoods of high crime
- Visiting homes that are in poor shape and unsafe
- Being alone with people in the home who could present safety risks
Work alone monitoring for healthcare professionals can help mitigate these risks. Here’s how CommAlert’s lone worker services can help:
24/7 lone worker monitoring.
Lone healthcare workers should have work alone monitoring for their entire shift. Not only is it an employer’s responsibility under Duty of Care, but it is also required by lone worker legislation throughout Canada.
Our live agents are there for your employees. We check in with them at the start and end of each shift or homecare visit and in frequent intervals in between. Our monitors are always available if your worker needs to call for assistance or alert them if they feel they’re entering a potentially dangerous situation. If a worker misses a check-in, we follow up and escalate the situation as required.
Technology for easy check-ins.
CommAlert offers top-of-the-line lone worker technology that ensures fast and easy access to their live human monitor. The CommAlert Portal can be used on any device and offers automatic check-in reminders, SOS alerting, messaging, and monitoring. It also allows us to manage escalation and response coordination through one system.
Regular check-ins, high-risk check-in options, real-time GPS location trackers, and a user-friendly dashboard make it easy for healthcare workers to check in with us. Our monitors can see where they are, will alert missed check-ins and initiate emergency response procedures if necessary.
Risk assessments help keep lone healthcare workers safe.
While a work alone monitoring system is an important part of workplace safety for lone workers, it’s not the only piece of the puzzle. Proper risk assessments, safety protocols and policies and staff safety training are vital. Risk assessments should consider the following:
- Hazards of providing homecare alone
- Dangers in the home, building or neighbourhood
- Risks associated with other people in the home
- Risks associated with the mental state of each patient
Conducting thorough risk assessments for each work environment and regularly updating safety policies and procedures can help protect your employees.
Partner with CommAlert
CommAlert is a leading expert in emergency communications and work alone safety. We offer round-the-clock lone worker monitoring and check-in technology to help keep your lone healthcare workers safer.
Contact us to learn more!
