The Outpatient Surgery website recently listed ways the color red can be used to promote patient safety. They include:
• Red dish towels: To ward off distractions, hand out red dish towels to the nursing staff, instructing them to drape the towels over their shoulders while they're drawing up meds and never to disturb a red-toweled colleague.
• Red chart sticker: To ensure safe medication delivery, list a patient's allergies on a red chart sticker and affix that to the IV tubing near the drip chamber.
• Red flag: When the OR is a noisy, chaotic place, a "Red Zone of Silence" can clear the air of distractions that could lead to surgical errors.
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