Crib Cards & HIPPA - researching policies

RN4Little1s · Mar 30, 2008

We have pretty generic looking pink and blue crib cards. They can say infant's last, first name (or infant boy/girl if they don't have one yet). We have volunteers that make signs for their bed spot with their first name in a "crafty" way. We are a closed unit with high security.

rn/writer, RN · Mar 30, 2008

Our crib cards are folded with only the room number written on the outside in red for girls and blue for boys. You have to flip the front of the card up to reveal protected info--mom's name sticker, baby's name sticker, and other info like breast or bottle feeding, state screen check-off and hearing screen status. No one should be getting close enough to the crib to look at this private data unless they are in the mom's room or are staff in the nursery.

Other than our floor staff, the only other hospital personnel who are allowed to peek at the inside of the cards are other staff (mainly lab) who check the baby's foot bands, mom's band, and the card to make sure they all match before doing any blood draws or other procedures.

BTW, our baby name stickers are arranged like this:

Mom's last name, Inf (for infant) and mom's first name.

So Jennifer Williams's baby would be listed as Williams, Inf Jennifer. We started doing this a little more than a year ago and it has proved helpful. Our hospital has approx. 400 deliveries a month, and there have been times when we have had three or four moms with the same last name. Using Mom's first name on the baby's label has gone a long way toward preventing mix-ups.

Hope this helps.

preemieRNkate, RN · Mar 30, 2008

We use the generic Similac cards as well, pink for girls and blue for boys. We use a Sharpie for the mom's last name. The rest of the info on the crib cards are written in regular ballpoint ink, like the mom's first name, baby's DOB, weight, etc. You have to be pretty close to the baby's bed to be able to read that info. Our clerks make up the crib cards on admission.

We use mom's last name while they're with us, regardless of what it will say on the birth certificate (we sometimes get dads that complain that their last name isn't used). Sometimes if the baby is with us long enough for the parents to get the bc and change the information with the hospital, we will have the baby's last name (whatever they have on the bc) and the baby's first name. Then they will go by their own name. So usually our information say "Smith, Baby Jane," unless they have gotten the bc and changed it, and then it will be "Smith, Johnny."

When we find out what the baby's first name is, one of the nurses will make an index card with colorful markers and stickers for inside the isolette or crib. That's just for fun though.

We're a level III NICU, with semi-tight security (it seems that the nurses police the unit more than anyone else). I don't really know what NBN does.

elizabells, BSN, RN · Mar 30, 2008

We have folded cards, blue and pink. On the inside is the last name, F/M C mother's first name, weight, and length (to save time during emergency intubations). On the outside is a colored sticker indicating what medical team the baby is on (residents or NNPs) and we nurses will write the baby's first name on the outside. Once every few months our case manager will make these really gorgeous calligraphy cards with the baby's first name, and we'll stick those on the front of the card.

justme1972 · Mar 30, 2008

At the NICU where my children were born, they had a very regimented "card" program and here is what they did:

They did use the full name of the baby, but it was written small (for the reasons you stated...I don't understand the security reason behind...not like it's a child that you can call by name and walk out)

Birthdate. "I was born on...."

Weeks gestation when they were born. (this was written very large)

Weeks gestation the baby was currently (this was also written very large).

Weight at birth

Current weight

A short list of developmental milestones that are normal for that gestational age...not for that particular baby...this is so parents can get a quick idea of where there babies are.

These were changed out weekly by the lady that came around to do neonatal massage...they were saved and the parents took all of them home when the baby was discharged.

All of the parents became very excited when their baby received a "new card".

The main reason that these were done is so when a mom was admitted and it appeared her baby would have to be delivered early, she could take a tour of the NICU and be more prepared of what her child will look like when it's born (size, weight) to lessen the shock.

I personally considered this the most critical part of my own admission, as I didn't realize how big my babies were going to be when they were born...it was a huge relief to me.

texas2007, BSN, RN · Apr 1, 2008

We usually write the babies first name on the crib card and stick it on the front of the crib, warmer, or isolette. However, the chart is always on a beside cart or with the baby if they go for a procedure. We have "Smith/Girl, Sally" written clearly on the chart but theres usually papers over it so you would have to be really nosy to find either that, or the patient sticky label at the bottom of their paperwork.

elizabells, BSN, RN · Apr 1, 2008

A few weeks ago, when fake JCAHO was looming, they decided that having the full last name on the spine of the chart was a HIPAA violation. Our poor unit clerk had to go through all 70 charts and put just the first three letters of the last names on. The very next day, they were back to normal. Never did hear how they decided it wasn't really an issue.

rn/writer, RN · Apr 1, 2008

We have only the room numbers on the charts. No way to see name until the chart is opened. Same with crib cards. No names visible. Only room number in red for girls and blue for boys. Have to flip the top part of the folded card up to see anything identifying.

preemieRNkate, RN · Apr 1, 2008

We have our babies last names on the window outside the rooms, as well as on the charts. Not sure how that isn't a HIPAA violation....

hikernurse · Apr 11, 2008

We have really cute scrapbook-like cards with the babies first name on it. There isn't any other information on it; parents love it. I think the cards help parents understand that we see their baby as a person, not just a patient.

We also have the baby's id bracelet on the bed which is used by lab, etc. It's small enough that I can't imagine it would be much of a privacy violation.

It's funny, in a room full of babies, privacy violations occur all the time. We pull curtains, but they don't seem all that soundproof :rolleyes: .

NebraskaRN · Apr 14, 2008

We are a level 4 regional medical center.

We have code cards that have the babies last name (mom's last name it does not matter what the birth certicicate says the name always says mom's last name) the either female or male and for multiples it is the letter right after female or male for example femaleb and femalea or malea,maleb, malec

So... example... Winters, Female or Winters, Femaleb

We also have hospital cards that we put on the beds that say Winters, Female and the have spaces for date of birth, primary nurse, resident or neonatal nurse practioner, length and weight when born, and attending doctor that the nurses can fill out but dont have to the primary nurses usually do.

Also the primary nurses usually do some crafty cards

Furthermore we have a nurse that does name cards that go in the issolette that has the infants first and last name (again mom's last name) and their date of birth that are printed on nice card stock with a girl, boy, or multiple theme.

We have arm bands that are on the parents the whole addmision and the visitors have to stop and get a name badge of the infants name and what nursery they get addmision to because we have 7 nurseries. All the people that come in only come by one entrance way and get stopped by the secetary or nurse at the desk.