It is confusing about the different colored bands that you get to wear when you go into a hospital. Im allergic to latex and before one of my surgeries I over heard someone say oh shes a DNR. I wasnt quite under yet THANKFULLY I remember yelling STOP. the mask came off my face and I was able to say no im not. The person that said it i don’t know who they were, but another person came over and looked at my wrist and said its an allergy bracelet.Allergy was red DNR was in pink .Who’s brilliant idea was that ???
So i think a bar code scanner would be the best universal idea. It would have all your information on it when they scanned it your picture and meds allergies etc would pop up. Even in your hospital room.The nurse could scan your band and make sure she has the right person for what she/he is there for.

I like the idea of the bands, but it needs to be the same no matter which hospital one is in.  The problem with that would be, all the different places one can get those bracelets, even as easily as getting them at Wal-Mart.  I’d say they need to have colors that are not sold in stores, and that bracelet making companies would have to agree, and to make the lables on them BOLD and Filled in with a different color of ink from the color of the bracelet for example….. just to avoid confusion…

I agree Lisa, something similiar happened to me, they were getting ready to do my C-Section and I asked how do you all know my allergies, I had one red bracelet on with a bar code, I thought maybe they scanned it. The doctors said why do you have allergies I said yes Latex, Codiene, Morphine and several others, it turns out the nurse who checked me in forgot to do the allergy bracelet listing the allergies, the doctors in the OR, where I was already, had to go hunt down a Latex free surgical kit, and the Anestethiolgist said he was glad I said something he had been planning to give me the 24 hour morphine dose they usually give after C-Section. Scary!

Its crazy how they run things . The color just doesnt work. they all need barcodes . Every hospital needs the same thing. Being allergic to latex is tough when it comes to the supplies.I had my insurance company not want to pay for part of the surgery because they needed special equipment.?? I ended up having to fight them and i won !!

Can anyone provide additional info on medical bands shown today? Who are the manufacturer’s or where are they available? My mother saw it, I did not and am looking for more info on the particular one’s shown for her.

Thanks,
M.H.

The barcode wristbands are from General Data.
Here’s a link: http://www.general-data.com/Healthcare/Solution…

Like they showed there are some hospital bands with barcodes on them, but I can tell you from experience, they really don’t make things any easier. I have been to a hospital a couple different times where they use those types of bands and not only do A) they have to scan you every time even at night when they come in, but B) they still have to use the other bands in case of an electrical failure because they would lose all their information. Some times some really scary things can happen but bottom line is, no one should be operating on you without first asking…. They should have the nurse ask first and then should always check it about 4-5 more times after that. Every time I have surgery at the hospitals that I go to, they have the nurse do the initial, but they also have each person ask do you have allergies? when I say yes they ask what they are… The information may be right there in front of them, but it prevents mistakes. I have had over 20 surgeries and never had a problem with a wristband barcoded or otherwise… personally I think the barcoded ones are more annoying. Lisa I know where your comming from as I do with Sleeptech… I am allergic to Morphine, Sulfa and Claritin…. At one hospital visit before a surgery they planned on giving me morphine after if absolutely necessary and then giving me claritin to counteract the side effects of the morphine. The also planned to give me an antibiotic iwth sulfa in it. However by the anestiologist talking to me right before he gave me anything and checking in with me on allegeries the whole catastrophe was avoided… I was able to tell him that I am allergic to almost all antihistamines that I am allergic to sulfa and that he could not in any circumstances give me morphine because I had had to much after my open heart and my body is now allergic to it. He was able to switch the plan of action and this was avoided, but the drug he had to use instead of morphine my insurance didn’t want to cover, We fought them and won! I think really it also takes vigilance on our part we need to make sure that all dr.‘s and nurses we come in contact with know our allergies… I wear a medicla ID tag I haven’t been made remove it for a surgery yet.

I think they should us a bar coded bracelet so when there is a emergency they can just be scanned. Have the scanners run on a battery so if the power goes out they can still be used.