Hospitals Cover Up LiveStrong Bracelets

[AmyB]

TAMPA, Fla. - A hospital chain is taping over patients' LiveStrong wristbands because they are yellow-the same color as the "do not resuscitate" bands it puts on patients who do not want to be saved if their heart stops.

No mix-ups have been reported, but BayCare Health Systems officials do not want to take any chances.

The popular LiveStrong rubber bracelets are sold through the Lance Armstrong Foundation as part of the champion bicycle racer's efforts to raise money for cancer research.

"It could be confusing, particularly in the situation of a code or a cardiac arrest where people have to think very quickly," said Lisa Johnson, vice president of patient services at Morton Plant Mease Health Care, which is part of the chain. "We wouldn't want to mistake a Lance Armstrong bracelet and not resuscitate someone we're supposed to."

Hospitals use colored bracelets to quickly tell doctors, nurses and other staff special instructions for certain patients. For example, at BayCare Health hospitals purple bands mean the patient is at risk of falling; red means the patient has allergies. Not all hospitals use the same coloring system.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=541&e=3&u=/ap/wristband_safety

Has anyone heard of this happening? Have there been mistakes where you live concerning the mixup of bracelets?

[TJNurse]

At the hospital I work at a yellow band is a fall risk patient. At another hospital in town, a purple band means do not resusitate. I think it depends on your hospitals protocal. I know our local news is doing a story on it tonight.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Any action that recognizes a potential mistake and stops it before it happens is a good thing imo.

[TracyB,RN, RN]

Amen, 3rd shift guy, I guess as long as nobody mistakes some Durapore tape to mean something... Or how about this one, take it off!!

[lifeisbeautiful]

How about we standardize the colored bands in every hospital? A red band on a patient in Florida means the same as a red band on a patient in Washington. Seems logical to me.