LOS ANGELES — Although hospitals should have the ability to lock all doors quickly so unauthorized individuals cannot gain access during a security incident, 7 percent of U.S. hospitals can’t lockdown at all, according to a study released today by Campus Safety magazine. Another 20 percent take more than 15 minutes to secure their entrances and exits.

The results of the survey, which appears in the July/August issue of Campus Safety Magazine, show that it takes an average of 11 minutes for respondent hospitals of all sizes to lockdown their facilities.

Not surprisingly, smaller hospitals — those with less than 200 beds — have the best lockdown rate. Ninety-four percent take 15 minutes or less to secure their doors, while less than 2 percent say a lockdown isn’t possible at their campuses.

More than 10 percent of medical facilities with 200-400 beds are unable to lockdown. Hospitals with 401-600 beds, on average, take 13 minutes to lockdown, and more than 21 percent of these same campuses take 21-60 minutes to secure their entrances and exits. Only large hospitals and hospital systems (with 800 or more beds) have an average lockdown time that is longer: 14 minutes.Continue reading