A new invention by a nurse could reduce the rate of hospital medication errors by implementing a color-coding system for V lines. Terri Barton-Salinas, RN, invented the concept of colored IV lines and corresponding colored labels for use in hospitals. After several tries to get her idea off the ground, Salinas has made it happen.
With 30 years of nursing experience, Salinas said she used to apply colored tape to distinguish between patient IV lines, but the tape would get tangled on bed linens. She also said she often wondered how much safer and easier it would be if IV lines came in different colors.
Salinas told her sister about her idea and they began consulting attorneys to patent the idea and were granted a patent for ColorSafe IV lines in 2003.
This is a great way to prevent errors, and you can imagine how much easier it is to pick out a color-tinted IV instead of trying to decipher between several clear ones. And in an emergency, many accidents can be prevented with this product.
The last step for the color-tinted IV lines is to get FDA approval. Once that is done, the sisters plan to have the lines manufactured by summer in five standard colors: red, green, orange, blue and purple and they also include matching color labels for IV bags.
We know firsthand the consequences of medication errors
Many pharmacies and hospitals have protocols in place to reduce errors, but as long as humans are filling prescriptions the potential for medication errors is always present. This risk increases when overworked hospital or pharmacy staff are trying to rush through hundreds of prescription orders. You have rights if a pharmacy gave you the wrong medication or the wrong medication dose.
If you suffered injuries and side effects after taking the wrong medication from a pharmacy you can order our free book, How to Make Pharmacies Pay for Injuries Caused by Medication Errors. If you would like to contact our office to discuss your case for free you can contact us at 1-888-526-7616 today.
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