The Role of Security Seals in the Medical Environment

Unfortunately, tampering is a risk within many industries. Anytime there is sensitive data, consumable goods, or high-value items, tampering is a threat.

While tampering, theft, counterfeiting, or substitution is a scary thought for any industry, it’s possibly the most important to prevent it in the medical environment. Not only is it essential to maintain sterility of medications, tests, and specimens in the moment, they need to be safeguarded throughout their entire journey.

The role of security seals in the medical industry

Tampering can have severe adverse impacts on the medical industry. Security seals, when used correctly, can prove valuable in a number of medical scenarios.

For example, pharmaceutical drugs that are considered addictive or fatal in large doses need to be kept under strict supervision. Most pharmacists and doctors conduct a weekly volume count of these medications and reconcile the leftover stock with the dosages dispensed. In order to discourage the unapproved circulation of these drugs, security seals can be used to restrict access to the drugs and deter tampering.

Sensitive medical reports are also stored in sealed cabinets so that private patient data cannot be viewed by unintended parties. This helps medical facilities more strongly comply with HIPAA regulations and similar data privacy laws.

Similarly, samples for testing (blood, tissue, etc.) have to be individually sealed to avoid contamination, so doctors can make accurate diagnoses. For example, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, swabs used for coronavirus testing are placed in a vial and sealed with a security label for integrity. The processing lab can then be sure that nothing has interfered with the swab, which would void the test.

Finally, in any medical setting, having sterile equipment is mandatory. Seals like security tapes and labels can ensure that equipment is sterile or has been sanitized, and that nothing has come in contact with it since.

Security seals for the medical industry

American Casting & Manufacturing supports the medical industry with a variety of custom security seals. As a market leader in tamper evident high security seals, we have a number of special seal types for the medical industry:

●Pull Up & Pull Tight Seals: These are also known as adjustable length tamper evident seals. Mostly made of plastic they are versatile and encircle everything from large vials of drugs to sample bags to ensure that contents are not disturbed.

●Fixed Length Plastic Security Seals: These are considered to be the most secure of all seals as any sign of tampering can be very easily detected.

●Padlock Seals: These also come with a number of customization options and are easy to apply. Padlock seals do not require additional tools to use and have a very snug fit for maximum protection.

Maintaining the integrity of data and samples in a medical environment is of paramount importance. American Casting & Manufacturing's security seals give you the confidence to store equipment and specimens without danger of tampering. Please contact us at 866-618-5038 to learn more about the variety of tamper evident seals we offer.