Under the new system, red wristbands will indicate patient allergies, yellow will represent fall risks and purple will mean “do not resuscitate.” These color-coded wristbands are used to quickly convey information about a patient in emergencies or when the patient may be non-responsive, according to the release.
Prior to the voluntary adoption of the system, Delaware hospitals used color-coding systems that varied from hospital to hospital. Movement towards a national standard occurred after a situation in 2005 in a Pennsylvania hospital where a patient nearly died after a nurse used the incorrect wristband, assuming it stood for the same meaning as it did in another hospital where she worked, according to the release. Thirty-six states have adopted a standardized system since 2005.
Read the release on the new Delaware standardized color-coded wristband system (pdf).
