footprinting newborns

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

Is everyone out there still footprinting newborns in the DR/Birthing Room? If not, what ID procedures are being used (bands, blood samples etc.)? Thanks.

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

WE footprint still.

as a courtesy only.

not as a form of security.

it's a keepsake thing.

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To all who no longer footprint the newborn, is there any other form of identification done and has anyone checked into the footprint as an identification. Is it truly a reliable source?

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

We use the ID bands as verification of ID. Every place I have worked does.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, educator.

No footprints here...I never really understood why they do that...some kids feet are all wrinkly, some are kind of puffy and they aren't the same in a few days.

We double band baby and mom, dad gets a band and everyone has to have a photo ID before we let them in or d/c them.

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Specializes in OB L&D Mother/Baby.

I work at a small hospital and we do footprint and double band all babies in the delivery room (nursery if c/s). Moms have one band and one finger print on the same sheet as the footprints. Parents are given one set of footprints and one band on discharge and one set of footprints is placed in chart and the remaining band is also placed in the chart upon d/c.

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Specializes in NICU.
To all who no longer footprint the newborn, is there any other form of identification done and has anyone checked into the footprint as an identification. Is it truly a reliable source?

We don't footprint, as we're the NICU and our babies' skin is often too thin and will absorb the ink. The babies all get double banded in the delivery room, and if they're going to newborn nursery they also get an alarm band. In the NICU, we take 2 photos upon admission - front and back - and fill out a database with all measurments, identifying features, and birthmarks. We also store 2 vials of cord blood in our lab fridge, and this is our best tool for identification.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, OB/GYN, L/D, NBN.

The mom is fingerprinted prior to delivery and three ID bands are completed. Once the baby is delivered, an ID band is placed on mom, one on baby's leg and one of baby's wrist. The baby is footprinted in the LDR on the same sheet as the mom's fingerprint. They are also printed on another certificate-like sheet for the parent's to take home. If a c-section, all of this except placing the bands are done in the nursery. The baby is never supposed to leave the mom's presence without the bands on. However, we do have some nurses who are more lax in this practice. I believe in doing it...What if you had several deliveries going on at the same time?

I know I would be very upset if I got the wrong baby:uhoh3:

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Specializes in Case Mgmt; Mat/Child, Critical Care.

Footprinting seems to be individualized to the facility. It seems more and more we are getting away from footprinting...not much use,a nyway. However the facility I recently started doing per diem for does do the footprints, as part of the medical record, n ot for the parents. We also double band the NB,band the parents, take a security photo,& put a baby "lojack" on the ankle. Of course there is the Infant Security alarm system, as well.

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