Reimagining Safety in Healthcare, and How Organizations Can Pivot From an Enforcement to Support Mindset

Summary

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Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

Episode: Reimagining Safety in Healthcare, and How Organizations Can Pivot From an Enforcement to Support Mindset

Date: October 24, 2025
Host: Erica Spicer Mason
Guest: Don Campbell, Senior Director of Product Management, HID Global

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Overview

This episode centers on the urgent need to reimagine safety in healthcare environments. Host Erica Spicer Mason and guest Don Campbell discuss why hospitals must shift from a punitive, enforcement-driven approach to one that emphasizes support, collaboration, and human-centered security. The conversation ranges from practical examples in visitor management to broader organizational and cultural strategies for fostering both safety and a welcoming atmosphere.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Don Campbell’s Background and Approach

[00:40]

• Don describes his experience in healthcare-focused product management at HID, especially in visitor management systems.
• Cites a memorable example: a hospital using large green “new parent” visitor badges, enhancing both security and patient experience by making visitors (like new fathers) proud and visible, while ensuring confidentiality and operational effectiveness.

Quote:

“I remember thinking, wow, these guys have really thought about visitor management and getting badges on patients in such a different way... it let that father go around and shake every hand in the parking lot.” — Don Campbell [02:08]

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2. The Current State of Healthcare Workplace Safety

[03:20]

• Erica highlights growing reports of workplace violence and dissatisfaction with existing safety protocols among healthcare staff.

• Don underscores how safety concerns directly impact hiring and retention:

  “It’s one of the most critical questions they get asked when they’re trying to hire new people... if they don’t feel safe and they don’t feel that they’re being taken seriously in their work.” — Don Campbell [04:35]

• Safety is no longer just an ethical or regulatory issue; it’s central to organizational sustainability.

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3. Balancing Security Technology and Human Experience

[05:40–07:50]

• Many healthcare professionals advocate for increased surveillance and zero tolerance policies.

• Don warns about overemphasizing controls at the expense of hospitality and empathy:

  “Both pieces need to go hand in hand... the first thing you want to start to think about as you go through this is that human element. Who are the people involved? What are their goals?” — Don Campbell [06:43]

• Recommended approach: Start with the people, then design or adapt technology accordingly.

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4. Practical Steps for a Human-Centered Security Approach

[08:18]

• Engage Stakeholders: Form or tap into workplace violence committees, gather broad input from nursing, student programs, facilities, volunteers, front desk, and security staff.
• Listen for Friction Points: Example — ICU staff were so frustrated by badge access limitations that the ICU head considered removing the door hinges [09:45].
• Iterative Improvement: Address both risk and operational friction by inclusive solution design; cultural change requires many supporters.

Quote:

“Go and look for the most diverse set of stakeholders you can get throughout the organization... define the right problems together, and only then agree on the set of solutions.” — Don Campbell [09:44]

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5. Ground-Level Insights: The Value of Frontline Input

[11:58]

• Frontline staff often offer the deepest insight into operational realities, like gaps in visitor badge issuance (e.g., patients entering via side parking lots without security checks).
• Leadership support is necessary, but programs risk missing the mark without broad department involvement.
• Even well-intended systems can fall short if not adapted to actual workflows.

Quote:

“It’s always surprising places where they’re really eager to help—had they known what that program was, absolutely they would have helped in making sure people like me had that [visitor] badge on that day.” — Don Campbell [13:33]

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6. Final Advice — Communication, Iteration, and Learning

[14:36]

• Walk the Site: Physically tour facilities with the actual committee and vendors; observe real-world practices and challenges.
• Communicate Across All Channels: Not just signage or memos—use visual cues, non-verbal markers (e.g., mats, rope lines) that shape routines.
• Test and Adapt: Try things, collect data (e.g., count those bypassing check-ins), and don’t fear initial imperfections.

Memorable Moment:

“I stood in that lobby and saw in well over 30 minutes, absolutely no person tried to bypass that obvious barrier. The other hospital, same system... about 2/3 of the people just walked right past... little non-verbal communication things can really stand out.” — Don Campbell [17:19]

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “It’s not just an important thing to address, but it’s an important thing to solve and to get much better at.”—Don Campbell [05:22]
• “If you walk around a hospital...you’d be surprised at all the places people can come and go and the number of departments who’d need to cooperate.” — Don Campbell [12:41]
• “You won’t get everything right on the first day, and that’s fine... try it, learn from it, adapt it.” — Don Campbell [19:36]

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [00:40] — Don’s background and visitor management example
• [03:20–05:40] — Staff violence, dissatisfaction, and why security is critical
• [06:37] — Balancing technology with a welcoming environment
• [08:18] — Stakeholder engagement and practical first steps
• [11:58] — The importance of frontline input and real-world examples
• [14:36] — Final advice: walking the site, communication methods, iterative improvement

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Conclusion

Don Campbell’s insights provide a blueprint for healthcare organizations aiming to pivot from enforcing security to supporting staff and visitors through empathy-driven, practical measures. The episode stresses that safety in healthcare is not just about controls, but about understanding human goals, iterative learning, and organization-wide collaboration. Memorable anecdotes, candid advice, and a clear call for continuous adaptation make this an essential listen for leaders and frontline staff alike.

Transcript

[A]

Hello, everyone. This is Erica Spicer Mason with Becker's Healthcare. Thank you so much for joining the Becker's Healthcare podcast series today. So I'm really thrilled to have a special guest with us to talk about reimagining safety in healthcare and how organizations can pivot from an enforcement to a support mindset. So joining me for this conversation is Don Campbell, the senior director of Product management at HID Global. Don, without further ado, welcome to the podcast. Thanks for being with Beckers today.

[B]

Oh, thank you.

[A]

Oh, we're so glad to have you with us. And just to kick us off to give our listeners a little bit more context about you and where you're coming from, can you share a bit more about yourself and your work in healthcare?

[B]

Sure. So, yeah, like you said, I'm a product manager at hid. I've been working on products for visitor management, especially within healthcare, but also helping manage the people and the staffs, even out to contractors and vendors and everyone else who works in the organization. Typically, we tend to focus on visitor management within this space, working with healthcare from really hospitals, hospital systems of all sizes, from the large ones, even to the smaller, like rural or single site urban hospitals that we work with, to regional and even some of the global players that are out there. I guess as I was thinking about this, as I was preparing for today, I was thinking about one of the things I learned from some of our customers recently is around the way they thought about and approached visitor management from their area. I hadn't met this customer before, was walking in through the parking lot and saw a new father walking, walking out. And I knew that because he was wearing his visitors badge, this giant green visitors badge that said, you know, my new baby is, is I'm visiting my new baby, you know, as a patient at, and, and the hospital's name on it. And I think he shook every hand in the parking lot and was, was just, you know, really friendly. And I remember thinking, wow, these guys have really thought about like visitor management and getting badges on, on patients and in such a different way than I've seen from other hospitals before. And, and when I met with them later, I learned they had had really two different badge styles. They had one that was kind of quiet and, you know, normal, also green. That's, that's how you knew which department it was. And they rotated that day of the week as they went through and then the big, you know, kind of really proud new parent one and I guess they said they, they go through at 80, you know, 80% of them are the, the proud new parent ones, but they had the other one as well. Not everybody is that same way. And I thought, what an interesting thing with, they have no pii to worry about there. They've got all these really great practices they came up with around this badge. But even more than that, it let that father go around and shake every hand in the parking lot. And I'm like, that's when, you know, people have really thought about their visitor system and how it impacts them and their patients, as well as becoming just a protective system for them.

[A]

Yeah, Dawn, I really appreciate learning more about you and especially that example you just highlighted what came to mind when you were describing the badge and how the new father was gleaming, or I should say beaming from all his interactions in the parking lot. Really, what a testament to that hospital's approach to patient experience too. Not just, oh, absolutely. And so, yeah. But I'm excited to get into the details and learn more about your ethos behind visitor management and security at hospitals. But before we get into it, I also wanted to just start a bit high level and just kind of acknowledge that we're seeing especially recent data is showing a huge number of healthcare staff are experiencing and witnessing violence at work. This is no surprise to, I think, anybody listening to this podcast right now, but I think it's important to highlight that staff are also expressing dissatisfaction with current safety protocols at their organizations. So from your standpoint, what do you see as the root cause of those challenges? And why is a fresh approach to hospital security so important right now?

[B]

Yeah, definitely have heard this through people that, that I meet with as well. I mean, part of why this is so critical is just around staffing. And if you, when I ask about that, the same topic and what is going on around workplace violence. What does your staff think about this? It's one of the most critical questions they get asked when they're trying to hire new people. It can lead to major issues with the staff, and why wouldn't it if they don't feel safe and they don't feel that they're being taken seriously in their work? And I think most people in this space are aware that this has been a rising problem, that it just makes it hard to staff, it makes it hard to grow, and it makes it hard to retain the people we have. So it's not just an important thing to address, but it's an important thing to solve and to get much better at as we work with these types of environments.

[A]

Yeah, absolutely. Appreciate the overview, Don. And I know we're Also seeing in some of these reports that I just referenced, but also just in our coverage at Becker's, generally we see healthcare workers calling for security measures that include things like advanced surveillance wearables, stronger zero tolerance policies, a lot of kind of tech based sort of supports as well. So in light of that, I also want to acknowledge what you said earlier about kind of creating that warmer experience with visitor management, whether that be the badge for the new fathers who are visiting, whatever it might be. What should healthcare solutions providers really keep in mind when they're trying to create solutions to meet those security and safety needs of healthcare teams, but also create that warm environment so that we don't want the hospital to feel like a fortress or something under high levels of security that makes it unwelcoming? So what would you say about that?

[B]

Yeah, yeah, I think those two, both pieces need to go hand in hand. So when we think about dealing with security issues and we want to raise the security level, the first thing we may think about is systems and controls and ways to tighten down the hospital. But it's really important too that as the security department is thinking through this, that they really want to go from just having that label of being a cost center putting policy out there that maybe becomes burdensome or makes it more difficult to work, that they also want to be looking at how they can be an operational assistance to those teams. I think what you're saying is the right approach, the first thing you want to start to think about as you go through this is that human element. So you do start with who are the people that are involved, what are their goals, what is impacting them? And then only then do you start to think about various technologies that you might apply for that. What's the problem and who are the people and why is it a problem for them? And then look for different technology approaches.

[A]

I really appreciate that balanced approach that you're describing. Don't. And I know that reimagining safety in that way at a hospital, I'm sure it would also require broader cultural and organizational change. So with health systems exploring new approaches to safety, what are some practical steps they can take right now to really start making progress toward that human centered approach to security that we're talking about?

[B]

For me, the first step is always to get the right people involved. And so if you already have a workplace violence committee, that might be a good place to start. If not, go to all the stakeholders and get feedback and get information, maybe form the committee yourself, but at least get involvement from all, all corners. It's not usually hard to get somebody from nursing involved and to get their information. But also look at like student programs and other training programs. Look at really any place within the system where you start to see. See that. So we see people who work with visitors on a regular basis. People at the front desk, probably people in security have that pretty well management facilities. You know, how are things laid out? Who, who deals with vendors within the hospital? Volunteers, really any of the different types of communities that are out there. If you can get the right people and voices and ask them what are the things that are both creating risk or getting in their way operationally, you'll make a lot of headway. One of the hospital systems I was working with is we were starting to go around and ask about issues and improvements in security. They actually brought up an area where they needed to change security, make it lower. And it was within an ICU and the way that they had done security around the pharmacy on that floor, that it required a badge in, badge out to go through the pharmacy, but it limited only to a few members of staff. And when they're under pressure, those people couldn't always be the ones to go and respond. It was at the point where the head of the ICU suggested he might just come in and take the hinges off the door until they came up with a better solution. That's a sign that maybe the current method may not be the most efficient way to solve the problem that you're approaching with the staff. I always listen for taking hinges off doors is like the clue with that. So I think that's the first piece. Go and look for the most diverse set of stakeholders you can get throughout the organization in order to hear the goals and even the friction, the problems that are out there and then together that can help you also towards not just the technologies we bring in, but, but the cultural shift that's going to have to go with this. And anytime we're talking about changing the way things work and changing the way people behave, it's going to take a bunch of supporters when we get to that cultural shift point, otherwise it just gets viewed as a barrier. And so getting to that point of having the right stakeholders, having the right problems defined, and then together agreeing on the set of solutions so that you get that. That shift you need for that support, you need to go through the cultural shift.

[A]

Yeah, I think it's so important. What you're highlighting here is the support needed to ensure that a cultural shift is possible and can be followed through on. Followed through on. So Just a quick follow up to that. Don, what teams do you see most often involved in that support piece? Is it leadership, is it frontline folks? Would love to know if you have any examples from partners and how they've handled that.

[B]

Yeah, to me the most essential is the front, front line folks that you're talking about, at least getting their opinions and making sure that that's, that's where that focus is coming from. Leadership support is great and it's, it's often necessary to keep things moving. Don't usually see trouble in getting that piece. I think sometimes I've seen people then maybe too eagerly try to run forward with the solution rather than pull in all those inputs from the frontline folks as well. It can be tricky, but even when you're just talking something as simple as let's try to get a badge on all the visitors seems like a simple concept. But if you walk around a hospital and a hospital system and look at all the places people can come and go and all the different departments and all the different people would have to cooperate to make that work. And there was one. I went through an MRI and that MRI team told me about a five spot parking lot on the side of the hospital by a side door that you get into MRI and guess what? There isn't. By that five spot parking lot, there isn't a place to get a visitor badge. And so I'm not sure everybody in the hospital knew it was there. They just told people who were coming for a quick MRI and quick imagery study. And I actually then ended up wandering around part of the hospital to go pick up a prescription while I was there too, and noticed and counted the number of people like me who didn't have the badge on as we went through. And so getting to each of the departments, like it's always surprising places where they're really eager to help. Had they known what that program was, absolutely, they would have helped in making sure people like me had that VISTA badge on that day and that they had better accounting and better comfort levels. That the people inside that facility are people that were vetted and were allowed to be there, supposed to be there. Yeah.

[A]

It's so interesting hearing about all of the stakeholders across a hospital, let alone a hospital system that would be involved in those security checks, visitors badges, managing just the flow of traffic in and out of the hospital. It's been a really fascinating discussion, Don, and I just want to check in to see if there's anything about this more human centered approach to security that you think we glossed over too quickly or any final thoughts that you wanted our listeners to know about this?

[B]

Yeah, if I could pick one thing, it's, it's walk the site with the vendor. And I, I don't mean just like the security department or the purchasing department to go and look through that. I mean that committee, the people who have the issues or you know, meet each of them in, in their, their environment, in their space as you walk the site, you know, make the vendor part of that decision, discussion, hearing the questions. And the questions, the problems sometimes get lost in translation along the way. And so as we're putting a solution in place, I'd love to say I thought of that badge in that parking lot, but that's something we saw and learned from a hospital themselves. And so it's each of those departments and each of those folks who are part of that working group or, you know, workspace violence committee or whatever it is that are giving us the insights that lead to the solutions that we have. There's a lot of common practices, but each hospital has its own set of problems that you have to work with. And so hearing those helps us find a better solution and that helps us identify the risk areas. It helps us identify the specific needs and areas and really start to adapt to that. I guess after getting that better information, I would say communicate not just between hospital and vendor or even within the departments as part of that organization, but, but from all of those groups then out to the rest of the employees and the rest of the community. Whether that's. I worked with the hospital, had issues with vendor check in and a big piece of that was just vendor communication, that vendors aren't intending to go around the rules, they just understand what the rules were. And so making sure that you have good communications across, you know, across the board, even non verbal. There was a hospital system that I saw and they had two different lobbies. One of them, everyone bypassed their visitor system, bypassed all security and just sort of wandered around. The other one, everyone just got online and checked in and you know, we took pictures and compared them and said, what do you see that's different? Well, the one where people were lining up to check in had a really obvious visual cue. They had safety mats, you know, down on the floor that led right up to the front desk. And they had a single rope line along that that visually said come here and line up here if you need to. And it also created a bit of a soft barrier between the waiting area before visitor and the rest of the hospital where the pharmacy and the cafeteria and things like that were. And I stood in that lobby and saw in well over 30 minutes absolutely no person tried to bypass that obvious barrier. The other hospital, same system, had a really large obvious check in area but no floor mats, no rope line, no sort of soft barrier between where you came in and, and these other areas. About 2/3 of the people came in, just walked right past and they saw the visitor management check in there. It was obvious their big sign. It just wasn't sure it was meant for me. Probably it's just for those other people to go to and so little non verbal communication things can really stand out and help get that message across as well. It doesn't all need to be signage or email messages or posters on a wall. Try various things and see how it works. And I guess lastly sort of pile and try various things and be willing to learn as you do that not everything you try is going to be great. Not everything you try will work. So try it, learn from it, adapt it and see that things get better. I bet when they first came out with that, that large badge they might not have had the small quiet one as well. Maybe they did. Maybe, maybe they realized right away that not everybody is, you know, is wants to shake every hand in the parking lot on their, their visit to the hospital. And actually knowing those guys, quite probably they did have that right from day one. But you won't get everything right on the first day and that's fine. That's why we're watching it. That's why I counted the people bypassing the lines in the parking lot, in the reception area. We were testing it, we were counting how many people were bypassing the current system and creating a quick record in comparison between the two. And now we can rearrange and add a ropeline or we can add those mats for people to stand in and see how big a difference it makes. So don't be afraid to get it wrong and learn from it.

[A]

Yeah, these are great points of advice, Don. And it's been fascinating learning about all of the details that add to a secure environment that is comforting for both staff and visitors alike and what makes sense in terms of getting visitors and other folks through the doors and out efficiently. It's, there's a lot that goes into this. So I appreciate your perspective as someone who has a lot of partners who are hospitals and health systems working through this, actively adapting their approach. It's been great learning from you today and I think our listeners will really appreciate it.

[B]

Oh, thanks. I hope so. Thanks very much.

[A]

Thank you, Dawn. And of course, we'd also like to thank HID Global for sponsoring the episode today. Listeners, be sure to tune into other podcast episodes with Beckers. You can find [e-mail] have a great day, everyone.