BellaOnline Forums Career Nursing Color Coded Uniforms

New article about mandated uniforms is posted. Do you have this rule where you work? What do you think about the impact it has on patient satisfaction and RN behavior?

Here's the article direct link! That makes it easy for people to read

Mandated Uniforms

I do like the idea of people in a hospital wearing clothes that makes you easily identify they are a hospital worker, so you can grab them and ask questions. I.e. I wouldn't want them all wearing street clothes. Sort of like I like the idea of police officers wearing uniforms so they're easy to spot.

What stood out to me, as mom to a son with severe communication problems, is that this is a major step in the right direction. Colors are easy to identify, and universally known.

Anyone, regardless of ability to speak/hear or of their native language would be able to know what you and others do at the hospital right away. As far as I'm concerned the patient satisfaction level just shot up!

Stay healthy,

Nancy Welker
BellaOnline Yoga Editor
CEO, Nutrabeautiful, Inc.

From a consumer stand point, I think it's a great idea. It's really difficult to tell who's who in a hospital setting anymore. Name tags are often difficult to read and many times flip around so they are not viable to the customer.

Being able to quickly tell a RN from an aid or lab tech from a distance is great and could make a world of difference to someone who needs to locate a trained professional quickly.

I guess one question would be how the visitors / patients would know what everything meant. Would they be given a color chart when they came into the hospital?

As a nurse, I wonder if this is a positive step? We do this, but it has not seemed to have any impact on patients knowing who is who. Many miss the colorful tops, especially with holiday themes. I say it is a step in the wrong direction.

As a former hospital RN I didn't like being forced to wear a particular color. My department always got a color that I either hated or looked terrible in. Employee morale was highest when we were able to choose our own scrub colors. Patients and families can always identify a person in scrubs, no matter the color, and anyone who is asked a question should be happy to answer it or find someone who can. I think forced colors are a bad idea for nurses.

Obviously, if you work in a clean unit where the scrubs are provided and put on after you get to work, that's a different story. My opinion on free choice refers to general floor nurses.