Hospitals should coordinate meaning of wristband colors regionwide
Accreditation Connection, April 24, 2006
Nearly 80% of hospitals in Pennsylvania use colored wristbands in some capacity, according to the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority.
In a survey of Pennsylvania hospitals, the authority found that each color represented several clinical conditions and restrictions.
"There are nine colors and [more than] 20 meanings that the colors are supposed to display," says Alan B. K. Rabinowitz, administrator of the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority. "You have to question whether a colored wristband alone is an effective way to convey clinical care."
But if hospitals near each other were to agree on a set of colors and definitions, it could help reduce confusion, especially for agency nurses and other staff who visit numerous facilities.
Tips:
- Label the wristbands clearly
- Use preprinted labels on colored wristbands
- Limit the colors that you use in the facility
- Designate a person to add or remove wristbands
- Remove a patient's personal colored wristbands
Source: Adapted from an article that appears in the May issue of Briefings on Patient Safety.
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