Color-coded accessories indicating a medical diagnosis of a patient and enhancing patient safety

Abstract

The present invention provides color-coded accessories such as wristbands, bibs, and other patient wearables, color-coded pillows and pillow cases, and a universal chart wherein the color code is associated with a specific medical diagnosis. These accessories alert healthcare providers to the medical diagnosis of the patient and enhance patient safety by reducing medical errors during administration of treatments and medicines to the patients. These accessories also provide protection to healthcare providers assisting them to identify diagnostic categories and alerting them to take proper precautions with patients, for example those with infectious diseases, thereby decreasing or preventing transmission of infectious diseases.

1 . An accessory for a patient, comprising a color-coded accessory wherein the color code indicates a medical diagnosis, and the color-code indicating the medical diagnosis is selected from the group consisting of white—substance abuse, pink—diabetes, yellow—human immunodeficiency virus, blue—cancer, red—cardiac, green—respiratory, orange—tuberculosis, purple—seizure, brown—psychotropic drug therapy, black—suicide watch, and red, white and blue—post-traumatic stress disorder. 
     
     
         2 . The color-coded accessory of  claim 1 , wherein the color-coded accessory is a wristband, a bib, a pillow, a pillow case or a universal chart. 
     
     
         3 . The color-coded accessory of  claim 2 , wherein the wristband is made from fabric or plastic and has a first Velcro strip located on a first side of the wristband and a second Velcro strip located on a second side of the wristband which fasten when the first and second Velcro strips are opposed. 
     
     
         4 . A method of alerting a healthcare provider to a medical diagnosis of a patient comprising:
 providing a color-coded accessory, wherein a first color code of the color-coded accessory is associated with a first medical diagnosis of the patient selected from the group consisting of white corresponding to substance abuse, pink corresponding to diabetes, yellow corresponding to human immunodeficiency virus, blue corresponding to cancer, red corresponding to cardiac, green corresponding to respiratory, orange corresponding to tuberculosis, purple corresponding to seizure, brown corresponding to psychotropic drug therapy, black corresponding to suicide watch, and a combination of red, white and blue corresponding to post-traumatic stress disorder;
 wherein the color-coded accessory comprises a wristband, the wristband defining a first end and a second end, the first end positioned opposite from the second end, the wristband defining a length extending from the first end to the second end, the wristband defining a width, the width defined perpendicular to the length, the wristband defining a first side and a second side, the first side positioned opposite from the second side, the wristband comprising:
 a first hook-and-loop fastener strip, the first hook-and-look fastener strip disposed on the first side of the wristband proximate to the first end; and 
 a second hook-and-loop fastener strip, the second hook-and-loop fastener strip disposed on the second side of the wristband proximate to the second end, the second hook-and-loop fastener strip configured to engage the first hook-and-loop fastener strip; and 
 
 wherein the color-coded accessory further comprises a ribbon, the ribbon forming a loop extending around the width of the wristband, the ribbon defining a second color code of the color-coded accessory that is associated with a second medical diagnosis of the patient; 
   applying the color-coded accessory to the patient by securing the wristband around a wrist of the patient by engaging the first hook-and-loop fastener strip with the second hook-and-loop fastener strip; and   exposing the healthcare provider to the color-coded accessory, wherein the first color code and the second color code alert the healthcare provider to the first medical diagnosis and the second medical diagnosis of the patient.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the color-coded accessory is a wristband, a bib, a pillow, a pillow case or a universal chart. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the wristband is made from fabric or plastic and has a first Velcro strip located on a first side of the wristband and a second Velcro strip located on a second side of the wristband which fasten when the first and second Velcro strips are opposed. 
     
     
         7 . A method of enhancing patient safety comprising:
 providing a color-coded accessory, wherein a first color code of the color-coded accessory is associated with a first medical diagnosis of a patient selected from the group consisting of white corresponding to substance abuse, pink corresponding to diabetes, yellow corresponding to human immunodeficiency virus, blue corresponding to cancer, red corresponding to cardiac, green corresponding to respiratory, orange corresponding to tuberculosis, purple corresponding to seizure, brown corresponding to psychotropic drug therapy, black corresponding to suicide watch, and a combination of red, white and blue corresponding to post-traumatic stress disorder;
 wherein the color-coded accessory is a wristband, the wristband defining a first end and a second end, the first end positioned opposite from the second end, the wristband defining a length extending from the first end to the second end, the wristband defining a width, the width defined perpendicular to the length; 
   applying the color-coded accessory to the patient by securing the wristband around a wrist of the patient by attaching the first end to the second end; and   exposing a healthcare provider to the color-coded accessory, wherein the first color code alerts the healthcare provider to the first medical diagnosis of the patient.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the color-coded accessory is a wristband, a bib, a pillow, a pillow case or a universal chart. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the wristband is made from fabric or plastic and has a first Velcro strip located on a first side of the wristband and a second Velcro strip located on a second side of the wristband which fasten when the first and second Velcro strips are opposed. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein:
 a first hook-and-loop fastener strip is disposed proximate to the first end;   a second hook-and-loop fastener strip is disposed proximate to the second end; and   applying the color-coded accessory to the patient comprises engaging the first hook-and-loop fastener strip with the second hook-and-loop fastener strip.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7  further comprising attaching a ribbon to the wristband such that the ribbon extends around the width of the wristband, the ribbon defining a second color code of the color-coded accessory, the second color code associated with a second medical diagnosis of the patient.