America’s hospitals are in crisis. A nursing shortage that’s only expected to grow in the coming years is already creating challenges across the country, while workplace violence against health care staff is rising at an alarming rate. One in four nurses has reported an uptick in physical attacks on the job.
At the same time, hospitals are managing constant construction, constrained budgets, and insufficient security staffing — all in wide-open spaces with no hard perimeters.
In short, keeping patients and staff safe has never been more difficult — or more important.
Fortunately, a new generation of technologies is stepping in to meet the challenge. Medical facilities can now turn to artificial intelligence, LiDAR-powered surveillance, and digital twin technology to reduce risks, detect threats in real time, and enhance emergency response. These solutions act as force multipliers, helping overburdened teams focus on what matters most — providing care and saving lives.
How LiDAR Can Enhance Hospital Surveillance
The challenge starts with the fact that health care campuses are inherently open environments by design. Patients, families, doctors, nurses, contractors and staff come and go through dozens of access points. Yet hospitals often operate with minimal security personnel and little ability to expand those teams. In this environment, new technologies become essential.
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Unlike traditional systems, which rely heavily on visible cameras and human monitoring, today’s solutions create a layered, intelligent security environment. LiDAR — which uses laser pulses to generate detailed 3D maps Images — can detect objects by shape and movement and classify people without capturing personal identification. That means a hospital can detect a person entering a restricted zone or loitering near critical infrastructure, like a generator or helipad, even in complete darkness, without infringing on privacy or triggering false alarms — all in real time. This shift from post-event review marks a significant leap forward.
Even just a few years ago, security incidents were typically investigated after the fact — a patient fall, a missing asset, an altercation in the ER. Today, threats can be detected as they unfold or even before they occur.
AI-Powered Video Management
New cloud-based video management platforms will also soon leverage generative AI to create alerts and/or allow users to query footage using natural language — “Show me any unauthorized activity near the west generator since 10 p.m.,” or “Alert me if someone enters the helipad zone.”
The system will also be able to flag anomalies and recognize dangerous conditions, like hanging cables or unexpected movement in sensitive areas, all without constant human supervision. When we try to look at everything, we truly see nothing. Intelligent systems fix that, helping focus attention on what matters most.
Using Digital Twin Technology for Wayfinding, Asset Tracking
Beyond threat detection, hospitals also face challenges from being in a state of constant physical flux, with frequent construction and layouts that shift week to week and sometimes even day to day. Visitors can easily get lost, and even staff lose valuable time navigating new detours. Plus, during a security incident, outdated evacuation plans can inadvertently put people in harm’s way and create barriers to getting everyone safely away from the danger.
Digital twin technology — a 3D, dynamic model of the entire facility — can solve such issues. Hospitals can create up-to-date routing within their own apps, help patients and staff find their way, and dynamically adjust emergency evacuation paths based on real-time conditions. When every second counts, knowing how to move people safely is just as critical as knowing where the threat is. It can even tie into asset management systems, so important equipment like gurneys, crash carts, and oxygen machines are represented in 3D and findable in the digital twin.
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In a post-pandemic world still marked by burnout and resource strain, the need to do more with less isn’t going away. That’s especially important in health care, where the line between safety and tragedy can be measured in minutes if not seconds. AI- and LiDAR-powered systems allow hospitals to respond faster, make better decisions and keep patients and teams safer — without waiting for more hands on deck.
IT departments are short-staffed as well. Add a physical security information management system and IT administrators’ jobs are made easier. They can access every critical system – video, access control, fire suppression and intrusion detection – through a single pane of glass.
These technologies don’t replace the human presence — they amplify it. And in a world where threats are rising and resources are tightening, they can be the key to protecting the doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff who protect us every day.
Jeff Swaim is Director of Campus Vertical Sales Physical Security, Americas for Hexagon.
NOTE: The views expressed by guest bloggers and contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, Campus Safety.
