Syringe labels seen through the eyes of the colour-deficient clinician
View / Open Files
Publication Date
2018-12Journal Title
British Journal of Anaesthesia
ISSN
1471-6771
Publisher
Elsevier Ltd.
Volume
121
Issue
6
Pages
1370-1373
Type
Article
This Version
AM
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Thomas, P., & Mollon, J. (2018). Syringe labels seen through the eyes of the colour-deficient clinician. British Journal of Anaesthesia, 121 (6), 1370-1373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bja.2018.07.023
Abstract
In the hospital environment, a common use of colour is to distinguish between variants of a piece of equipment, for example blood tubes or sizes of cannula. There is little guidance on which colours should be used in constructing a safe and helpful colour code, and the choice is generally left to manufacturers. A rare exception to this is the labelling of syringes in critical care areas, for which clear and well thought out guidance is provided in the UK.1This guidance is backed by the Royal College of Anaesthetists, the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, the Intensive Care Society, and the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine. Similar guidelines are issued in the USA,2 and there is also an ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standard.3 For the individual with normal colour vision, there is little scope for confusion with such labels, as they use a mixture of colour, hatching, and reversal of font and background colour. There is evidence that syringe labelling systems can enhance the safe use of medication.4
Sponsorship
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical
Research Centre, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation
Trust and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology.
Funder references
BBSRC (BB/S000623/1)
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bja.2018.07.023
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/293083
Rights
All rights reserved