PA Hospitals Form Grassroots Effort to Reduce Risk of Medical Error

Hospitals in northeastern and central Pennsylvania are working together to develop standards for the use of color-coded patient wristbands in their facilities.
Wristband colors are often used to convey clinical information to nurses, physicians and other healthcare workers, but potential safety issues were raised when a patient nearly died in a Pennsylvania hospital due to confusion about the meaning of a colored wristband that had been put on the patient’s arm.
A group of facilities formed the “Color of Safety Task Force” to develop detailed protocols, including a policy manual and training resources, to reduce the risk of medical error when using color-coded wristbands. The Task Force has made the manual and related materials available to other facilities through the Patient Safety Authority’s Web site: http://www.psa.state.pa.us/psa/lib/psa/advisories/v3_s1_sup_advisory_8-….
The Pennsylvania healthcare organizations involved in the Color of Safety Task Force include: Allied Services Rehabilitation Hospital (Scranton), Community Medical Center (Scranton), Holy Spirit Health System (Camp Hill), John Heinz Institute (Wilkes-Barre), Marian Community Hospital (Carbondale), Mercy Hospital (Scranton), Mid-Valley Hospital (Peckville), Moses Taylor Hospital (Scranton), Pocono Medical Center (East Stroudsburg), Tyler Memorial Hospital (Tuckhannock), and Wayne Memorial Hospital (Honesdale).
For more information contact: Laurene M. Baker, Patient Safety Authority, (717) 346-1092.