Use of force in healthcare environments involve a variety of circumstances including patient restraint, patient elopement, involuntary commitment, criminal incidents, and other situations. Healthcare security officers, whether proprietary, contracted, or law enforcement, are frequently called upon to intervene in these difficult circumstances. These incidents are frequent and fraught with potential injury to staff, patients, and others. Security staff are sometimes perceived as overreacting or under reacting as they respond when called to a call for assistance. Providing a “reasonably” safe environment is important to all healthcare facilities and this guideline can assist organizations as they strive to meet that goal.

To assist healthcare organizations in managing use of force situations, the IAHSS Council on Guidelines is announcing a revision to Healthcare Security Guideline Security Officer Use of Force Guideline 02.02.05

The revision includes a definition of use of force, suggested policy and training considerations, use of Behavioral Health Emergency Response Teams, and a defined incident notification and review process.

Tom Smith, Council on Guidelines Member leading the update stated, “this guideline has been significantly updated and all healthcare organizations should consider it as they review and update use of force policies, procedures and training”.

The IAHSS Council on Guidelines is comprised of volunteer IAHSS members who are seasoned healthcare security professionals and leaders. Each year the Council on Guidelines develops new industry guidelines and reviews existing
guidelines on a three-year cycle.

About IAHSS

The International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS) is the only organization solely dedicated to professionals involved in managing and directing security and safety programs in healthcare facilities. IAHSS is a professional association with more than 2,000 members who are healthcare security, law enforcement, safety and emergency management leaders. For fifty years, IAHSS has educated and served members and the profession by offering exclusive resources and benefits including industry and design guidelines, local and international educational and networking opportunities, and the celebrated bi-annual Journal of Healthcare Protection Management. IAHSS has certified tens of thousands of dedicated professionals who keep healthcare facilities, patients, staff and visitors safe. IAHSS offers the Basic, Advanced and Supervisor certifications, a Safety Certificate Program, and maintains the prestigious Certified Healthcare Protection Administrator (CHPA) certification, the standard for the healthcare security leader dedicated to the profession.