Saint Francis Medical Center implements new wristband policy

Saint Francis Medical Center is the latest hospital in Missouri to adopt a new policy of using colored wristbands to communicate vital patient information.

The policy, which goes into effect today, will use three colored wristbands to define a specific medical condition.

A red wristband specifies that the patient has an allergy, yellow signifies the patient is at risk to fall and purple designates the hospital staff must not resuscitate the patient. The hospital had formerly used red, blue and green wristbands to represent the same information.

Until late 2008 Missouri did not have a standard in defining what color identifies which piece of information. But after a 2007 survey conducted by the Missouri Center for Public Safety found that other states were using such alerts most hospitals in the state began implementing this policy. Missouri is the eighth state to adopt the measure.

Becky Miller, executive director of the Missouri Center for Public Safety, said the system is another way to ensure safety for patients.

"We're supportive of anything that can streamline communication so health-care providers have a quick recognition of a potential safety concern for the patient," Miller said. "If patients have that colored band on them, then other hospitals have a better chance of understanding if they have a risk."

Laura Dumey, clinical director of surgical and critical care services at Saint Francis Medical Center, said the hospital decided to adopt the standard to coincide with 90 percent of other hospitals in the state that use the three wristband colors.

"This helps facilitate patient safety when our patients are transported from one level of care to another," Dumey said. "There never have been any incidents here, but we're trying to prevent that from occurring. It's very important for us to keep our patients safe while they're here."

Southeast Missouri Hospital has used red and yellow wristbands for two-and-a-half years to mirror other hospitals in the state.

The red wristbands that represent an allergy warning have been used for 25 years while the yellow band was implemented in the last two years after the hospital had used a blue wristband to alert hospital staff of a fall risk since 2007, said Judy Aslin, director of patient care services at Southeast Missouri Hospital.

Aslin said the hospital elected not to use a purple wristband "because a patient may change his or her mind on this issue and we don't want to fail to honor that request by forgetting to remove a wristband."

bblackwell@semissourian.com

388-3628

http://www.sfmc.net/display/router.aspx

Pertinent addresses:

1723 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, MO

211 Saint Francis Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO