By Don Amato / Special to Healthcare Facilities Today

Medical mistakes are devastating. In a 2013 segment on deaths from medical mistakes in the U.S., National Public Radio reported that the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services had estimated in 2010 that 180,000 annual deaths were linked to inappropriate hospital care. A more recent study, published in the Journal of Patient Safety, came up with estimates that 210,000 to 440,000 patients die each year as the result of medical mistakes in hospitals. These figures are shocking, and they do not include mistakes that occur outside of hospitals.

While alarming, these effects are preventable. Simple and often inexpensive steps can be taken to prevent fatal and disabling medical mistakes that lead to injuries, infections and deaths. Examples of remedies include better hand-washing and other sanitary procedures, enforcement of requirements for health care workers to wear proper protective gear, and better hospital discharge instructions to lower re-admission rates.

Proper labeling is another strategy to improve patient safety. Medications, medical equipment, and even patients’ wrists can be labeled to reduce mistakes. Following are explanations of how labeling can improve patient safety, and how you can make labels more effective.

Labeling of medications is crucial for patient safety.

Medications can save lives. They can also kill if used improperly. Because of the importance of medication labeling in patient safety and health, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) develops labeling regulations for drug manufactures and provides guidance for labels on medications.

Information to include on medication labels can include the following:

• Instructions for use, including dose, time of day, and food or drink to be taken with the medicine (if any)

• Expiration date

• Common interactions with other drugs

• Common conditions that make the drug dangerous

• Safe storage conditions

• Common side effects and symptoms of concern

To maximize the effectiveness of medication labeling for improving patient safety, the label should be durable. Text should not run if exposed to small amounts of water, and the label should remain sticky under a variety of conditions.

Tag your patients to make health care provision more accurate.

Wristbands are a form of “patient labeling.” They can have basic patient information, such as ID number, name, age, gender and reason for being in the hospital. What’s more, you can use patient wristbands to convey additional critical information to nurses and other providers at a glance. Color-coded wristbands are a common solution. These are some examples of colors and what they can mean in a clinical setting:

• Red can mean the patient has a food or medication allergy

• Green can mean the patient has a latex allergy

• Yellow can mean the patient is at risk for falling

• Purple can mean “do not resuscitate” (DNR)

• Pink could indicate a restricted extremity, so to only inject or draw blood from the other side

Using a standard set of colors and associated meanings can reduce errors and improve patient safety because the system does not rely on nurses remembering to check patient charts before providing care, sometimes in urgent settings.

When you purchase patient wristbands, look for ones that are durable, such as made from polyester. They should also be water resistant so the writing does not blur. Bands made from no-overlay materials can display barcodes that are easier to scan. Stock up on adult, pediatric and infant wristbands so you are prepared for all patients you may encounter.

The proper use of labels on medical charts can improve patient safety in addition to providing patients with wristbands so their basic information is always on them. Chart labels can lower the risk of mistakes. They are easy to use because they are customizable and often come in shapes and sizes that you can tailor to the software program you are using.

Properly labeled medical equipment can be safer and more effective.

The FDA has specific guidelines for labels that are on medical devices for patient use. This is some information to consider, including medical devices used at home or in the hospital:

• Operation instructions

• Storage and maintenance instructions, including when to replace parts and where to obtain replacement parts or how to get the device serviced

• Warnings for device use

• Indications and contraindications

• Information on risks and benefits of using the device.

As with all labels, these should be clear and easy to read.

Multiple strategies can help you keep your patients safe. They can be fairly easy to implement, and labeling is among the easiest and potentially most effective. Label medications, patients and their charts, and medical devices properly, and patient health can improve.

About the author:

Don Amato is the vice president of sales of Chicago Tag & Label in Libertyville, Ill.