Using Q›TAR^® in Hospitals

Hands-free access control

Face recognition readers from P&Q can be used in conjunction with automatic door openers, to provide hands-free access control.

Security without risk of cross-contamination

The individual is recognised automatically without a badge having to be presented or a numeric code entered, followed by the door being opened without being touched.

In a hospital environment, this has several health and safety benefits, including for example:

• avoiding risk of cross-contamination by eliminating the need to touch readers or the door or to find and present a card;
• allowing access control to areas that should be secure but which cannot normally be made secure (e.g. operating theatres);
• avoiding the need to juggle items being carried while finding and present a card or using other biometric recognition methods;
• avoiding the possibility of someone inappropriate using a card that has been found or produced fraudulently.

Higher Security where required

For areas where higher security is required, it can be required for staff to use both a card (perhaps with photo incorporated) or keyfob, and face recognition, before the door is opened.

Securing expensive equipment

Hospitals have lots of rooms with expensive equipment that needs to be kept secure. A badge-only (or key-fob-only) solution can be provided (using Smart Access Locking Technology) which:

• is much cheaper than alternative solutions;
• avoids the need to carry out wiring and installing magnetic locks as normally required;
• doesn't use a Wi-Fi or other Wireless solution that generates radio or other electromagnetic radiation;
• is much cheaper than a master-key based solution;
• doesn't require keys or codes to be changed manually when the employment of someone with access to these secure rooms is terminated (perhaps without their keys being returned);
• allows the badges or keyfobs to be immediately cancelled when someone's employment is terminated;
• in the event of any equipment going missing, you can get a list of who accessed that room recently and when;

Securing personal belongings

The same cards or keyfobs can also be used for lockers fitted with Smart Access Locking Technology. The lockers may be either assigned to specific individuals long-term or for use only while on a shift (then being free for another staff member to use). Such lockers can also be used for securing personal belongings of patients.

P&Q International plc

P&Q International has specialised in the provision of such innovative solutions since 1979, and has an enviable list of well-known companies and organisations as clients.

As software developers, P&Q can easily customise their solutions if required, to solve problems that may be specific to your organisation – for example, by providing mixed solutions, incorporating different recognition technologies (e.g. face, fingerprint and/or card), different types of access (e.g. corridor doors, room doors, car park barriers, turnstiles, etc) and different applications (such as Access Control, Time & Attendance and Data Collection).