Visitor identification is vital to the security of all healthcare facilities, but perhaps the most important within children’s hospitals, where vulnerable, young patients are being cared for around the clock.
We chatted with a customer at a large children’s hospital about how the implementation of their visitor identification system has improved safety and peace of mind for patients, parents and staff.
“We track many different lists when visitors arrive to ensure both patient and employee safety,” the customer said. “We have protocols in place to ensure someone is allowed to enter the hospital. So, if someone in the hospital has a visitor badge, others can have peace of mind that they’ve been vetted and are allowed to be there.”
This particular customer uses a two-piece expiring visitor badge from PDC that they print with visitor data using compact thermal id badge printers.
If employees at the hospital notice a visitor is in an unauthorized area, they are encouraged to approach visitors with a questioning attitude (i.e. “Can I help you? Do you need directions? Where are you trying to go?). The badges themselves have important features that indicate to employees when this might be the case.
Use Color Coding for Quick Visual Assurance
This customer has implemented a simple but effective visitor identification system using a total of six different color-coded badges to visually indicate whether a visitor is allowed to be where they are. Their badges include:
The color-coding system allows all employees within the hospital to know at a glance whether a visitor is where they’re supposed to be. If they’re in an unauthorized area, they can be quickly redirected back to check-in or to the area they’re permitted to visit.
Use Time-expiring Badges for a Visual Alert
The visitor badges have a time-expiring ink feature, where after one day of use a striped bar pattern appears on the badge, signifying the pass’ expiration. This helps hospital staff easily identify visitors who have exceeded their allotted visiting hours and provides an extra layer of security by preventing re-use of the badges.
“This gives us a time-stamp of when the guest may have come in,” the customer said. “We wouldn’t want someone loitering for too long or handing off a badge to a different visitor. If your badge starts to turn red it gives staff cause to approach the visitor with that questioning attitude.”
Use Branding as a Unique Identifier
This children’s hospital also chose to add their logo to the visitor badges. This can serve as a branded touch point for visitors, which marketing departments appreciate, but it also has a safety component.
“We wouldn’t want to mistake a badge from another facility as ours,” the customer explained. “The logo customization lets us know the badge has been administered by us. It’s our seal of approval that an extra pair of eyes was on the guest to ensure everyone’s safety.”
Focus on Patient Safety to Reassure Parents
The visitor badges, with all of their features, serve as a visual indicator that a more robust security system is in place, allowing parents to focus on their children, and staff to focus on patient care.
“I knew that my husband and I were both thoroughly vetted through their database when we checked in, which gave me a sense of security and comfort that my child was safe even when I couldn’t be in the room with her,” said one parent at this same children’s hospital.
The customer stressed the importance of the visitor badges as a huge component in making everyone in the hospital feel safe.
“These badges are that extra blanket that says a visitor has been vetted,” the hospital director concluded. “It lets everyone in the hospital know that they have a reason to be there, and it allows our staff to operate without worrying. They can focus on patient care.”
Hospital Visitor ID Solutions from the ISG
Visitor Management has always been a priority for the Identification Systems Group (ISG) since our beginning in 1982. We provide a huge variety of visitor ID badges from partners like PDC, Brady and others, as well as all of the ID badging accessories your healthcare facility would need to properly display them, like lanyards, badge reels, and specialty holders, both generic and custom.
Contact us today to connect with your local ISG member dealer. They can help you find the best solutions for your hospital visitor ID management. You can also discuss any needs you have for wristbands and labels, thermal printers, downtime solutions and patient ID systems.
Original article written by Jess Johnson for PDC.
