Del. hospitals adopt wristband standards

WILMINGTON, Del. - September 16, 2009 Wayne Smith with the Delaware Healthcare Association says making wristband colors and their meanings standard eliminates a serious risk posed by moonlighting doctors and nurses.

Smith says Bayhealth and Beebe Medical Centers adopted the system last spring and most other hospitals in the state adopted them this month.

Yellow wristbands indicate a patient is at risk of falling, red wristbands mean the patient has an allergy to something and patients with a do-not-rescucitate order wear a purple wristband.

Smith says Pennsylvania and New Jersey hospitals have adopted standardized wristband color-coding, and Maryland's facilities are in the process of adopting them.

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Information from: WDEL-AM

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