How to Choose the Right Lone Worker Safety Solution for Home Healthcare Workers
Table of Contents
A solution for working alone in healthcare
Safety solutions for home healthcare workers
Proactive safety check-in
How to choose a lone worker solution
Onboarding and implementation
It promotes peace of mind
In October 2023, a home healthcare nurse was murdered while visiting a halfway house. As part of her job, she was providing medications to a client with a record of sexual assault – alone. She was one of nearly 1.5 million home healthcare workers in the United States who enter clients’ homes to provide essential care and services for people with disabilities or chronic conditions. According to the OSHA, home healthcare workers can include ‘home health aides, personal/home care aides, companions, nursing assistants or home health nurses’ and “are employed in patients' homes and in community-based services such as group homes.”
These people are performing their jobs in work environments that can be very dangerous for home healthcare workers – especially those working alone. Because they are putting themselves in harm’s way, performing important work by delivering essential services to those who need it, home healthcare workers deserve and require the best safety solutions available to improve their safety and well-being.
A solution for working alone in healthcare
In addition to the risk of violence and assault, home healthcare workers also face other occupational hazards that may include musculoskeletal injuries from patient or equipment handling, slips and falls, motor-vehicle accidents traveling to homes, as well as infectious diseases and viruses.
Over the years, home healthcare workers have unfortunately started experiencing an increase in workplace violence, and in response, the US government passed H.R. 1195, Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, in April 2021. This act requires employers to implement a violence prevention plan within their workplace according to a national standard outlined by the OSHA. In 2018, healthcare workers also accounted for more than 70% of all nonfatal workplace injuries from a violent act. Many of these people work directly with patients, moving them to different rooms and engaging with them on different levels, working in environments where they are vulnerable to occupational hazards.
Safety solutions for home healthcare workers
To effectively protect these people alone in client homes and care homes, employers must implement the use of safety technologies and lone worker safety solutions that allow them to monitor them remotely and stay connected. Thanks to continual advances in technology as well as stronger, farther-reaching communications networks, there are several options available to protect lone home healthcare workers for different occupational needs. There are also many more options available to help protect people in all industries, not only healthcare.
A lone worker safety solution
The use of lone worker safety apps, like SafetyLine and many other lone worker solutions has gained significant traction in the home healthcare industry. These apps enable companies to effectively monitor their lone workers using existing communication devices such as smartphones and tablets. While they are easily downloadable onto workers' phones, these apps offer a range of safety features, including in-app panic buttons, GPS location tracking and monitoring, and proactive safety check-ins.
In-app panic buttons
One valuable feature of lone worker safety apps is the concealed in-app panic button, which allows workers to discreetly request immediate emergency assistance with a single press. While physical panic buttons are also available as separate devices worn around the neck or attached to clothing, physical panic buttons come with the drawback of requiring an additional device and battery to manage, charge, and carry during work.
GPS communicators and monitors
In environments with low cellular signal or when working in people's homes and communities, locating a lone worker in need of urgent assistance can be challenging. Accurate GPS locators and communicators enable employers and emergency responders to quickly find healthcare workers, even when they don't have cellular or Wi-Fi reception.
These devices also ensure that workers can maintain communication with a manager or safety monitor, even in areas where reception is unreliable. GPS technology provides a secure connection between the lone worker and their safety monitor, regardless of weather conditions or where care is being provided globally. This independence from cellular or Wi-Fi networks allows for continuous monitoring in remote locations.
Moreover, the assurance of being safely monitored through GPS tracking fosters peace of mind and creates a low-stress environment, enabling lone workers to focus fully on delivering quality care.
Proactive safety check-in
A highly effective way to monitor healthcare workers without disrupting their work is through a safety check-in system. This approach involves workers checking in with their manager before a client visit, periodically during the visit (depending on the safety risks involved), and after the visit to confirm their well-being. While safety check-ins can be done manually, this method is prone to forgetfulness and human error. An automated safety check-in system solves this by offering a more reliable solution, ensuring consistent monitoring and enhancing worker safety.
With automated safety check-in systems, lone healthcare workers can send check-in messages that provide crucial information to enhance their safety. To be effective, a well-crafted check-in message should include three key components:
Current Activity and Potential Safety Risks: Details about what the worker is doing and any immediate safety concerns.
Nearest Landmarks and Geographical Indicators: Information on nearby landmarks or geographic features that can help locate the worker if needed.
Work Plan Details and Description: A brief outline of the tasks being performed and any relevant specifics about the work plan.
How to choose a lone worker solution
Selecting the right safety solution to protect your employees is a critical decision. It requires careful consideration and input from all those who are impacted or have valuable expertise to contribute. To ensure you choose the best solution for your team while saving time and resources, follow these key steps in the decision-making process.
Early online research – Conducting a quick online search can provide valuable information and insights. Pay close attention to reviews, customer testimonials, and feedback from others in your industry to gauge the product's reputation and effectiveness.
Meets high standards of excellence in security – Since these solutions handle large amounts of sensitive employee data, it's crucial to prioritize data privacy and security. Ensure the solution adheres to internationally recognized information security standards, such as SOC 2 Type 2 certification.
Perform a hazard assessment – In order to truly understand which lone worker safety solution is best, you must know the safety hazards that your healthcare workers are facing. Additionally, talk to staff about their safety concerns and hazard assessment results.
Develop a lone worker policy – The lone worker safety solution is a main component of your lone worker policy which includes all the safety protocols and practices – like safety check-ins – to keep people working alone safe.
Involve all levels of staff – In addition to the healthcare workers, consult with other members of the company, such as human resources and finance, to gather their insight and feedback.
Onboarding and implementation
With a new safety solution selected, the focus then needs to be on implementing the technology and system with your home healthcare workers. When onboarding a new lone worker technology to a healthcare team, managers can take several steps to ensure a smooth process, such as:
Plan and allow plenty of time for employees to learn how to use new safety technology.
Provide any needed information and resources such as accessible instruction and FAQ sheets.
Monitor and request feedback from the team, making any adjustments as required.
Make sure all the benefits of the safety solution are clearly communicated and why they are using this technology – that it's for their safety.
It promotes peace of mind
One of the major benefits of regularly using a lone worker safety solution and system is the peace of mind they experience when monitored and protected by a reliable system watching their back while they perform their job in patients’ homes.
There is a wide range of safety technologies and features available for work safety, particularly for home healthcare workers that include lone worker safety apps, panic buttons, GPS trackers and communicators, as well as safety check-in systems. These features ensure that home healthcare workers remain connected and can request help at any time, discreetly and quickly.
When that home healthcare nurse went into her client’s home that day, she probably would have walked out alive if she were equipped with a panic button. These devices and technologies provide peace of mind ensuring that nothing like that happens to your team in the future.
But with 25 years of industry leadership in lone worker safety, SafetyLine provides even more peace of mind as a proven lone worker safety solution. For more than two decades, SafetyLine has helped healthcare workers with its comprehensive features and easy-to-use interface, ideal and adaptable to home healthcare workers. SafetyLine’s proactive check-in system monitors the safety of healthcare workers reliably and non-intrusively.