Company aims to improve hospital patient ID

A HEALTHCARE company is hoping to roll out its printed identification wristbands to hospitals around the world.

Brenmoor, based at Crosshills near Skipton, has developed the product to prevent identification breakdowns for hospital patients, which can result in major problems when performing blood transfusions, administering drugs and collecting specimens.

The company said its identification band provided a cost effective way to improve patient identification and contains a barcode, the patient’s name and date of birth.

The bands are printable and are resistant to soaps, alcohol, water and other chemicals commonly used in hospitals.

The bands were developed following consultation with healthcare staff and have been approved by the National Patient Safety Agency for distribution through the NHS supply chain.

Eight out of 10 UK hospitals use Brenmoor’s wristbands and now the company has set its sights on the global market place.

Paul Brennan of Brenmoor said: “Between February 2006 and January 2007, the National Patient Safety Advice Agency received over 24,000 reports of patients being wrongly identified and mismatched with their care.

“This can be distressing for patients and for staff and can result in serious, lasting harm such as chronic pain, undiagnosed cancers, blindness and even death.

“There is an urgent need to reduce identification errors in the vast majority of hospitals throughout the world and we believe that these printed identification bands will provide a solution, ensuring the right patient gets the right care.”