Standardizing Patient Wristbands
At a news conference June 9 in Harrisburg, Pa., State Rep. John Payne (Dauphin County) and the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority announced a pilot project in which 11 hospitals will use a standardized color-coding system for patient wristbands.
The system specifies color-coded wristbands to designate allergies, fall risks, do-not-resuscitate orders, and other critical patient-specific information that physicians and nurses must be aware of at all times.
In 2005, the Patient Safety Authority issued an advisory, based on reports submitted by hospitals, about the potential risks of color-coded wristbands being misinterpreted by health care providers due to the lack of standardization. The advisory led to the pilot project among northeastern and southcentral Pennsylvania hospitals to create a standardized color-coding system.
"[This] event marks the next logical step in the effort to standardize patient wristbands statewide," said Carolyn F. Scanlan, president and CEO of The Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP). "Following the groundbreaking work of the Patient Safety Authority and the Color of Safety Task Force, we have updated the Pennsylvania Wristband Standardization Project "Banding Together for Patient Safety" toolkit and resources, and we will be providing them to hospitals in the coming weeks. Pennsylvania's hospitals appreciate Representative Payne's efforts to call attention to this important voluntary initiative."
Pennsylvania's hospitals have a long history of implementing quality and patient safety programs to improve care, HAP noted. In recent years, Pennsylvania's hospitals have worked with the Partnership for Patient Care, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative, the Patient Safety Authority, the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council, and others to enhance patient safety, reduce errors and prevent infections, the group said.
"Pennsylvania's hospitals are about healing, health and hope," Scanlan said. "This initiative furthers our ability to deliver on that promise."