Body Worn Camera Use in Health Care Facilities

The body-worn camera is a modern device containing audio and video capture that gives facility to a man to record what they see and hear. A policeman or a doctor or a paramedic can attach to various parts of the body, including head, a helmet, glasses, or to the body pocket, badge or other means of attachment such as in-car and on the dash. They can record the activities of the person who is wearing the camera. Previously, only an in-car or interrogation room camera system captures all such activities.

Is the use of Body-worn cameras increasing day by day? Yes because it has reduced many intricacies in the investigations of different crimes. Body-worn cameras are an unbiased witness in disputes and crimes. It has finished many doubts about disagreements. Law enforcement agencies can also recognize the potential for video recording to help with impeaching crimes, promoting accountability, and professionalism. Incidents like the killing of Michael Brown in the city of Ferguson, USA cause an increase in the use of Body-worn Cameras. MS has increased the use of Body-worn cameras for safety against both officer and victim.

Now the question arises, what are the limitations and advantages of body-worn cameras? Body-worn cameras have a lot of advantages and merits. We are going to present the research here. The University of Cambridge, Institute of criminology in the United Kingdom issued a research report on the advantages of Body Worn Cameras. It showed a reduction of fifty percent. The report has said that not only we have seen a reduction in the use of force but also complaints against police officers have ninety percent reduced.

Other advantages of using body-worn cameras are preventing confrontation situations, resolving officer complaints, correcting and identifying integral problems within the agency, improving agency transparency, and improving evidence documentation. The Body-worn camera also assists the officer to be professional while on duty.

After introducing to Body-worn camera and narrating its advantages, we go to our main topic. The body-worn cameras help decrease violence in health facilities. The Government of the United Kingdom implemented in the hospitals that security officers must wear a body camera. In the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England Security Officers wore RS2/RS3 body cameras. The study lasted for three months in the hospital. The security officers at this hospital were able to record any acts or threats of verbal and physical aggression, threatening or unreasonable conduct or vocal and racial mistreatment. There are many occurrences over this period in which body cameras helped in different issues. A female patient was not willing to leave the emergency department and insisted on prescription drugs. The female patient accused employees of the hospital of touching her inappropriately. In the meanwhile, the security officer of the hospital told her that his camera is recording her and you are under surveillance. This research was a great success.

Another example of the use of Body-worn cameras is of National Health Service Foundation Trust in the United Kingdom. Security officers there are accountable to tell the patient that they under the surveillance of the cameras if they act inappropriately. Not only the body-worn cameras reduce violence but also the cameras detect blind spots that other surveillance devices were unable to do. The body-worn camera was also useful to identify staff requesting entry into the hospital. The Cardiff Hospital in Wales has also been taking of benefit of Body-worn cameras. Security officers of the hospital turn the camera on while facing a violent situation.

At the University Hospital Wales, the security officer warns the person who tries to be aggressive that he is under the vigilance of body-worn cameras. The footage in which body-worn cameras capture is great proof of criminal persecutions. These practices have greatly brought the rates of violence down.

There are several limitations to the use of body-worn cameras. First, the body-worn camera does not follow the eyes of the officer as an untoward incident occurs in front of him. Another limitation of the body-worn camera is that the body of the officer blocks the view of the scene. The Body-worn camera cannot capture a 360-degree view of the situation that might be occurring. It is another difficulty that when the body-worn camera to turn on. There are many incidents when police officers did not have their camera on at the time of the inappropriate incident. A camera cannot replace a systematic investigation. Limitations of body-worn cameras are insufficient and there is a need for improvement. And the effectiveness of the camera has more capacity for improvement.

The United States of America Office of Justice Program’s Bureau of Justice has developed an online toolkit. This toolkit helps different agencies to train on how to use body-worn cameras. A variety of roles within an agency requires different methods for training and is provided on this online facility. Professors of Criminology Charles Katz and Michael White created this online toolkit.

Should Healthcare centers use Body-worn cameras? Body-worn camera technology in a hospital environment is a major concern regarding the expectation of privacy of patients and visitors given the regulatory and legal situations that the healthcare environment requires. There are very stern rules governing the use and release of information regarding behavioral health patients, many of whom begin their care in a hospital’s emergency department, a commonplace for law enforcement officers.

In the emergency department, there should be body-worn cameras. Similarly, there are certain victims and witness interviews that law enforcement officials conduct in the hospitals such as sexual assault, child abuse, and domestic violence case that will create a potential conflict with existing rules due to the location of the interview and relationship of the subject with the health provider.

By assembling a multidisciplinary team, including local police, risk management, legal services, and health care security professionals can research and potentially ease many of the prospective issues involved with the use of such technology on their campuses.

Here we are suggesting Body-Worn Camera Use in Health Care Facility. The body-worn cameras can increase the efficiency of medical staff. Doctors, Surgeons, and paramedical staff can also effectively use body-worn cameras. This act is useful in making more research on medical science. At the time of surgical operations, if Surgeons and paramedical staff use body-worn cameras, medical students can get help from this.

We are giving only one example of a surgical operation in the Military Hospital Rawalpindi, Pakistan. In Military Hospital Rawalpindi, Pakistan during the surgical operation of the kidney of a female patient the surgeon left a surgical instrument inside the body. This incident caused the death of the patient. If the Surgeon has used a body-worn camera during the surgical operation, the body-worn camera would have recorded the operation. It is a highly helpful act to evade untoward incidents during the surgical operation.

Now we discuss the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act in the United States of America. This law is a set of standards for the protection of certain health information in the United States of America. The Law has many requirements as to who has permission to view personal health information and who can receive this information. It deals with the use and disclosure of an individual’s information. The act also deals with an individual’s privacy rights and how law enforcement agencies and Medical Staff can use this information. The HIPAA Privacy Law also generalizes when it is acceptable for individuals of a crime to reveal health information.

The health information which Body Worn Cameras collect, the organizations under Law Enforcement Purposes may unveil fewer than five circumstances.

1. If Law demands this information under court order, warrant, or administrative request.
2. To recognize a suspect, deserter, witness, or missing person.
3. In reply to a law enforcement official’s request for information about a victim or suspected victim of a crime.
4. When an organization believes the health information is proof of a crime that has occurred on-premise.
5. By a covered health care supplier in a medical emergency not occurring on the premises when essential to inform law enforcement about the commission and nature of a crime, location or the crime or crime victims, and executor of the crime.

Similar to the United States of America’s HIPAA Privacy Law, the United Kingdom Data Protection Act and the Australian Privacy Law does not inform the use of video and body camera use is a breach indiscretion. No rule in the law states it is improper to use body cameras in hospitals. Under the Judicial and Administrative procedures, the law relates that covered entities may disclose protected health information in a judicial or administrative proceeding if the request for information is through an order from a court or administrative panel. It means that the Law can disclose protected health information for judicial purposes.

In a nutshell, our research suggests that the use of Body-worn cameras is highly useful in Health Care Facilities.