Hospital wristbands serve as a rapid, visual communication system used by healthcare staff to quickly identify a patient’s specific needs, risks, or medical alerts. The use of distinct colors allows personnel, from nurses to support staff, to recognize critical information instantly without having to consult the patient’s full medical chart. These color-coded identifiers are a simple yet effective component of patient safety protocols across many facilities.
Identifying Fall Risk
The yellow wristband is overwhelmingly recognized in hospitals as a signal that the patient is at an elevated risk of falling. The classification of a patient as a fall risk is typically determined by a standardized assessment performed upon admission. Factors contributing to this designation often include advanced age, mobility issues, and a history of recent falls. Certain medications, including sedatives, diuretics, or those that affect blood pressure, can increase the likelihood of a fall due to side effects like dizziness or confusion. The yellow band is not an indicator of illness but a preventative safety measure to ensure appropriate support is provided.
Standardized Care Protocols
The presence of a yellow wristband triggers a series of specific, practical interventions designed to prevent patient injury. Staff will ensure the patient’s bed is kept in the lowest possible position and that the call light is always placed within easy reach. Additional precautions often involve specialized equipment, such as bed or chair alarms, which alert nurses if the patient attempts to get up unassisted. Patients may also be given color-coded, non-skid slipper socks, frequently yellow, to wear when they are out of bed. The visual alert is often supplemented with signs placed outside the patient’s room to alert non-clinical staff, like housekeeping, to the fall risk.
Local Variations in Color Coding
While the meaning of yellow for “fall risk” has been widely adopted due to recommendations from organizations like the American Hospital Association (AHA), institutional policies are set at the local level. The AHA has promoted three standardized colors—red for allergies, yellow for fall risk, and purple for Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) status—which have been adopted by many state hospital associations. Despite this push for standardization, some hospitals, particularly older or smaller facilities, may use yellow for a different purpose, such as a restricted extremity or even a DNR order. Confusion can arise when healthcare workers, like travel nurses, work in multiple facilities with conflicting color codes. Patients and family members should always confirm the specific meaning of any color-coded wristband with a nurse or staff member at their particular hospital.