Hospital security management: A research on State hospitals

The aim of this study is to uncover our query; 'How is the term hospital security perceived in Turkey, and thus far, to find out whether a proper and systematic security approach is practiced in hospitals by all its agents. The study primarily focuses on 'hospital security' concept to find out if the term itself has been accurately perceived, and if it is used properly by its agents (who somehow have a stake/role in the healthcare environment). Moreover, our study analyses the legal and structural body of hospital security in Turkey. The study also looks for an answer to if the agents and processes in hospital security are taking place efficiently, for both have vital roles in the system. The study is also requests answers to following questions: - Do hospital managers in Turkey handle hospital security systematically? - To what extent do hospital managers perceive the concept 'hospital security' (accurately)? - Are there any efforts to make hospital managers, patients and visitors participate more effectively in the hospital security? - With respect to all these abovementioned, is it possible to create a holistic approach which not only law-makers and legislation process, and academicians (such as researchers in the field) who have external effects on the system, but also hospital managers, healthcare workers, patients and visitors who take part in the system internally participate in. The population and sample of this study consists of 10 different state hospitals and their managers and security managers. A literature study , that is a qualitative technique, of hospital security has been done in the first part by researching the current hospital security systems in practice both in the USA and Turkey from a structural and legislative view. Later, we have prepared 35 open-end questions for a semi-structured interview. After obtaining all the data from our target population whom we interviewed, they were classified under four topics such as: the conceptualization of hospital security, the systematization (of hospital security), agents/actors (who have a stake in hospital security), and practice (of hospital security)/the current situation. All the data gathered were compared accordingly. Approaches to hospital security from both countries were compared not only theoretically but also practically. Given the findings from our research it is clear Turkey still lacks a holistic approach to hospital security. Currently, hospital security in Turkey totally falls far behind the current situation it has in the USA. The systems which are in practice in the developed countries like our USA sample can be taken as a model to construct a more modern and better system in hospital security.