CardQuest

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Badge Buddies: Badges Specifically Designed for the Medical Field


Badge Buddies

The simple truth is, most of us have either spent time in the hospital ourselves, or visited someone who has. And to say that most hospital environments are hectic, confusing, and overwhelming is an understatement! While many of us get stressed about deadlines and work piling up at our jobs, for most of us our jobs are luckily not places of ‘life or death’ situations. Personally, I know I couldn’t handle that, and I applaud the countless people in the medical field who can. And speaking of those people – they hold many different roles! That is why Badge Buddies medical badges are so important.

Thinking back on a time when my mother was in the hospital for an extended stay, my mind becomes confused all over again. There were people coming in and out of her room seemingly nonstop, and they were all sharing information with us that was quite valuable and needed to not only be heard, but fully processed. That can be difficult for a patient and their family when they are experiencing physical and emotional discomfort, and keeping track of everyone and what they said is a battle unto itself. That is precisely what made it so much easier when easy-to-read badges were worn. If we wanted more information from the next person to come into the room, we could say ‘the RN told us this’ instead of ‘there was a lady in here with short brown hair, had a bit of a New York accent, ring a bell?’

Badge Buddy medical badges clearly display whether someone is a Physician, RN, LPN, or NA. And as invaluable as this information is to the patient, so they know who told them what, as well as who they should be asking what, it is also quite helpful for the hospital staff as well. Have an emergency and aren’t sure if that person is a doctor or nurse? Identifying them in an instant saves invaluable time. Heard that a new LPN started, but aren’t sure if that’s him? If he’s wearing an LPN badge and you’ve never seen him before, it probably is! And these are just a few examples of how something as seemingly small as a clear, color-coded badge can have an enormous impact for everyone involved.

If your hospital currently uses Badge Buddies and you have more insight into how they’ve helped you, please share in the comments!