A Nova Scotia hospital is turning to artificial intelligence to improve security at the facility as part of a larger effort to tackle rising violence in health-care settings.
The AI-powered device is part of a new pilot project at Colchester East Hants Health Centre’s emergency department in Truro, N.S., and looks like a metal detector at the front door.
“(The censors) detect the characteristics of metals and then those characteristics run through an AI sensor,” said Peter Evans, CEO of Xtract One Technologies, which built the system.
“And through that AI sensor, we can then determine, ‘This is a knife, this is a gun, this is a cellphone, this is a laptop, this is jewelry, (etc.).”
Evans adds that the technology means weapons can be identified quickly without a pat down required.
“In general, the average person has the experience of just walking right in and not having to go through that whole annoying process of a metal detector,” he said.
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The project began Monday after the hospital’s security staff received training on how to use the system.
Colchester East Hants Health Centre is the first facility in the Maritimes to use the system.
Dr. Jan Sommers, an emergency physician at the hospital, says she’s happy to see steps taken to address safety concerns.
“My hope is that we can avoid potential incidents where patients or staff are injured by weapons that can be detected by this system,” she said.
While Sommers believes systems like this can limit the severity of incidents, it’s only a part of the response that’s needed to improve security.
“This is not the only intervention that’s needed,” she added.
“Creating a safety plan for patients and staff is going to require a multi-pronged approach. We need training in things like de-escalation skills, co-ordinated security plans.”
Workplace safety and violence in health-care settings has been an ongoing issue in Nova Scotia. In January, three employees at the Halifax Infirmary emergency department were stabbed by a patient in what the province’s health minister called a “serious incident.”
Nova Scotia Health says any item deemed “unsafe” will be returned when the owner leaves the property, while any illegal weapons or firearms will be turned over to police.
The project is funded through the province’s Safety Innovation Fund — a $7 million initiative aimed at reducing violence in nursing.
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