Nursing

Heighten falls awareness with the color orange

HCPro's Weekly Update on the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®*, July 31, 2007

In an effort to decrease falls in the radiology department, staff nurses at Riverside HealthCare in Kankakee, IL, use the color orange to designate patients who are at high risk for falls--orange wrist bands for patients, orange dots on charts, orange strips above patient beds. Nothing is written on the orange, as all staff nurses are aware that the color orange indicates a patient is at risk for falls.

"The incidence of falls in our radiology department is very low, as patients are not left alone if they are assessed as being at high risk for falls," says Vicki Haag, RN, MS, ANCC Magnet Recognition Program® coordinator, education services.

Source: Vicki Haag, RN, MS

Most Popular

Related Articles