In hospitals, patient wristbands are vital as they ensure the accurate and reliable identification of patients. This identification allows the provision of "individualised, specific care" to the patient. Providing even a small amount of incorrect information can lead to dangerous and even deadly situations.
Between 2000 and 2006 alone, over 350,000 patients died as a result of being provided incorrect or insufficient information by their healthcare providers. Although the immediate danger to human life is of the utmost importance, even less serious errors can have harmful effects on patients.
At the time of being admitted to the hospital, every patient is given a wristband that contains crucial ID details. The most important of these is the barcode that can be scanned to quickly and easily access the patient's electronic medical record (EMR). Information typically included on these wristbands:
- Full name
- Date of birth
- Medical history and pre-existing conditions
- Allergies (if any)
- Current medications and dosages
The pivotal role that wristband barcode technology plays in preventing medical mix-ups cannot be overstated. This is because the barcode wristband is the entry point into the eMAR (electronic medication administration record), which ultimately links the patient to accurate and up-to-date electronic health information. With the eMAR, the patient’s medications and pertinent health information are at the fingertips of the health staff, allowing safe and timely access to essential details vital to the patient’s care.
Comparatively speaking, the total mix-up rate was 0.035% of the total administered doses over the course of the study (versus a 16% total error rate in the 1999 study by the Institute of Medicine named "To Err is Human").
An ideal method for creating the clear, robust barcodes that wristbands require is thermal transfer printing. This produces prints that resist smudging and scratching. Because wristbands often become wet, either from the patient showering or from the activities of the staff, the printing method used must also offer water resistance.
To achieve peak performance in this application, we advocate using these specific ACE thermal transfer ribbons:
ACE8266
ACE8277
ACE8370
These products help deliver the high print quality and durability required in the demanding healthcare space for many years.
If you would like to receive samples for patient wristbands then please get in touch and the ACE team will be more than happy to help guide you to the correct & necessary solution.
