St. Vincent’s University Hospital Emergency Department launches new colour-coded lanyards to enhance patient care and safety

17th July 2024

We are excited to announce a new initiative at St. Vincent’s University Hospital aimed at improving your experience in our Emergency Department (ED). Introducing our new colour-coded lanyards, designed to help you and your loved ones quickly and easily identify the diverse staff members dedicated to your care.

Key benefits for patients:

• Easier identification: Each lanyard colour represents a different specialty, making it simple to know who is caring for you. Each role is clearly stated on the lanyard. For example, Assistant Directors of Nursing wear red lanyards, Emergency Medicine Consultants wear purple and Emergency Medicine Registrars wear green. This clear identification helps patients and families know who to approach with questions or concerns, ensuring timely and accurate communication.
• Improved communication: These lanyards are more than just colourful accessories. They streamline communication among our staff, promoting efficiency and accuracy. A nurse can quickly identify a doctor’s specialty by the colour of their lanyard, facilitating faster collaboration and better patient care. By clearly stating roles and responsibilities, these lanyards help our team work together more effectively, ultimately enhancing patient outcomes.
• Enhanced coordination: In a busy ED where many staff wear blue hospital scrubs, these lanyards help patients, families and staff to quickly distinguish between different medical roles, promoting effective collaboration and the best patient care.

Positive feedback:

We’ve already received encouraging feedback from patients. One patient shared, “It was useful to know who the Clinical Nurse Managers were in the red lanyards.” This feedback is exactly why we implemented this system – to help make patients’ time with us a bit smoother and less stressful.

Staff endorsement:

Our team is also very pleased with the new lanyards. The majority of our staff wear uniforms, but the coloured lanyards with visible job roles provide an additional way for patients and visitors to distinguish between different staff members. Alison from Admin commented, “I feel it is very useful as I am not mistaken for a nurse or medical professional when talking to patients and staff, which improves my communication skills. It helps us feel more connected and committed to a common goal.”

A collaborative effort:

This initiative was a true team effort, with spirited discussions about colour choices. We’re proud to say that our new lanyards have already inspired other departments to consider similar systems. Special thanks go to our ICU team for the initial idea and to our Business Manager for securing the funding that made this possible.

Additional initiatives, such as the implementation of digital patient screens, are currently in development. Stay tuned for more updates!