Beyond Visibility: Clear Stickers Redefining Patient Safety Standards

A pioneering report, “To Err is Human: Building a Safer Healthcare System”, published by the Institute of Medicine in 1999, stated that every year 44,000 to 98,000 patients die from preventable medical errors. This report focused on building a safer healthcare system for improving patient safety. Building a safe healthcare system demands establishing coordination and communication between different levels of the patient care system. As a first step towards this, many healthcare facilities have started using clear sticker labels to communicate information throughout the patient care system. This post explores how different types of clear sticker labels, such as clear bottle stickers and clear back stickers help improve the quality of healthcare and patient safety.

Types of Clear Sticker Labels Used in Healthcare Facilities for Improving Patient Safety

Clear sticker labels are widely used in healthcare facilities as they help organize workflow, label specimens and medication, track patient documents, identify medicines to be dispensed, control infections, and improve patient care. The following applications will help you understand them better.

• Chart Labels: As the name suggests, these labels are pasted on charts to include important information related to patient care, such as test results, history, allergies, medications administered, and so on.
• Patient Identification Labels: These labels are used to print vital patient information at the time of admission and throughout the treatment. Generally, these labels are applied on the wrists of patients to highlight essential information regarding them. Sometimes, these clear sticker labels are customized with barcoding that helps hospital administrators track patient care information and their treatment.
• Sterilization Indicator Labels: These labels are used to identify different packages that are to be sterilized. They are usually printed with a sterilization indicator ink that changes colors when appropriate sterilization conditions are met.
• Medication Labels: Clear die-cut stickers are used to label different medications in clinic or hospital settings. These stickers are printed with information regarding dosage, frequency, and so on. Many studies over the years have shown how these labels can help prevent adverse reactions and medical errors.
• Cryogenic Labels: These labels are used over vials, freezer boxes, microtubes, cell culture plates, and so on, which are stored at cryogenic temperatures. Cryogenic labels are designed to withstand low temperatures and stay in place in such environments. They help identify the right culture plates for lab technicians and process the results accurately.
• Laboratory Labels: They are key in patient care and diagnostics. These labels are usually used to identify lab samples and help streamline the testing process for lab assistants.
• Blood Bag Labels: These labels are used to label blood bags. They provide information about the blood sample extracted from the patient. The information may include the date of blood collection, expiration date, blood type, and tracking.
• Syringe Labels: Clear die cut stickers are used as syringe labels in many hospitals and clinics. These labels are used on auto-injectors and pre-filled syringes to inform nurses and other healthcare professionals about the dosage and sterility.

How Custom Clear Labels Help Ensure Patient Safety

Having discussed the different labeling applications in healthcare settings, it is quite obvious to think about what makes them so special. How do they help improve the quality of healthcare? This section discusses the same and more.

1. Easy Identification: Clear labels are easily visible from a certain distance, which helps healthcare professionals identify medications, patient belongings, and medical equipment accurately. Labeling medications, blood samples, medical equipment, and patient belongings with clear information helps reduce the risk of medical errors caused by confusion.
2. Ensures Seamless Communication: Clear bottle stickers or custom clear labels used on various medical equipment and samples help ensure seamless communication across the patient care system. For instance, custom die-cut stickers printed with patient information such as medications administered, medication schedules, and allergies, inform all the concerned healthcare professionals about a patient’s health condition and reduce the likelihood of errors.
3. Ensures Easy Organization: Using custom clear labels helps healthcare professionals organize and categorize medical supplies and equipment. They can easily locate the essentials during emergencies and reduce the chance of errors caused due to confusion.
4. Ensures Consistency: Using clear stickers across medical facilities helps ensure consistent labelling. This consistency promotes adherence to established protocols and enhances patient safety.
5. Prevents Contamination: Custom printed clear labels help prevent contamination in sterile environments, such as isolation units and operating rooms by indicating the status of supplies or equipment.

Clear sticker labels allow professionals to communicate effectively and create a safer healthcare environment by improving communication, identification, standardization, communication, and so on. If you have been considering these labels for your healthcare facility, ensure to source them from trusted manufacturers and suppliers like Performance Label Company (PLCTX). The experts at the company will work closely with you to understand your medical labeling requirements, offering you the best solution. In addition to these, they can also guide you on custom clear vinyl stickers, clear sticker decals, clear back stickers, and many more for your hospital and clinic.