Colour Coding Of Drugs
Colour-coding is a system of using colours to categorize elements within a set of some kind, for example, to identify a particular drug or a therapeutic class of drugs. The concept of colour. Mix-ups occur because of selection errors among products within a class of drugs having different strength and action.
6 Availability of the limited number of absolute identifiable colours and to remember these multiple or complex colour-coding systems is another limitation to colour-coding of drugs. 7 Further, between 5% and 8% of the general. However, the Food & Drug Administration 2 and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) 3 have voiced concern over the safety of color.
Syringe labels seen through the eyes of the colour-deficient clinician - British Journal of ...
Maintaining standardization in the pharmaceutical industry, here is how color coding systems are used to minimize the chance of accidental drug misuse. Abstract Problem: Labelling of high-risk drug infusions and lines is a well-recognised safety strategy to prevent medication errors. Although hospital wards characterised by multiple high-risk drug infusions use different types of labelling, little is known about the contribution of a colour-coded label (CCL) to patient safety.
Many of these errors stem from simple misidentification of drugs or dosages, particularly in fast-paced healthcare environments where quick decisions are essential. Color Coding: A Visual Safety Net Color coding serves as an intuitive visual cue that can be processed more quickly and accurately than text alone. Colour coding plays a crucial part in generating indications for correct dosage and helping the patients in taking their medicines as per the prescription.
Are Color-Coded Medication Labels Helping or Hurting?
Some pharma companies have already incorporated colour checkers to implement this strategy and calendarize their dosage and schedule. Color coding may be applied to indicate drug potency, what time of a day a medication is to be taken, and to complement calendarized packaging systems to increase ease. This acquired behaviour extends to picking drug vials based on the colour of the vial tops, size, and their location in the drug cart.
Similar vials have a potential for accidental swap leading to unintended consequences. Currently, there is no colour coding or standardisation of the coloured tops of medication vials.
