Stratford, St. Marys hospital workers adopt colour-coded uniforms

Patients in Stratford and St. Marys will be able to identify hospital staff by the colour of their shirt starting Monday after the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance decided to introduce standardized uniforms. 

The decision to adopt a colour-coded uniform system in all four of the alliance's hospitals, including Stratford General Hospital and St. Marys Memorial Hospital, was a direct response to patient feedback according to Chief Nurse Executive Donnalene Tuer-Hodes.

"We looked at our patient comment forms and there was a common theme that patients did not know who were the nurses and who were the other staff in the building," she said.

Colour-coding will cut confusion

"We did have some examples where the patients gave a staff member personal information, but they weren't really in that circle of care," Tuer-Hodes said. "The patient thought she was talking to a nurse, but she was actually talking to housekeeping staff."

The patient thought she was talking to a nurse, but she was actually talking to housekeeping staff.- Donnalene Tuer-Hodes, Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance

Under the new system, hospital staff will be divided by profession into about 15 colour-coded groups, with everyone wearing black pants and a specific coloured top. For example, nurses will wear white tops, while occupational therapists will wear burgundy.

Tuer-Hodes said patients will be given colour-coded keys in the form of a laminated bedside chart.

"It certainly will help patients who are lying in their bed to see when a coloured uniform comes and they can look at the chart and say, 'Okay, who is that in my room?' and be able to identify the reason, and the role that they play in their care."

All staff who interact with patients on the front-line, as well as some ambulatory units, will be required to conform to the new standards, which still require all personnel to wear nametags and introduce themselves to patients when they enter a room.

A model for other hospitals

"We do have some staff that have already started wearing the uniforms, and they look very professional," Tuer-Hodes said. "We've had great comments back from patients and from other staff as well."

I do believe it's going to catch on. We do have a lot of hospitals who are looking at our organization and do want to consider and hopefully implement this.- Donnalene Tuer-Hodes, Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance

She said she is aware of other hospitals in Canada that have adopted standardized uniforms for one or two professions, but she believes the alliance is among the first to implement a colour-coded uniform system for all its staff.

Given that the problem is not unique among hospitals, Tuer-Hodes said it's only a matter of time before other healthcare organizations follow suit.

"I do believe it's going to catch on. We do have a lot of hospitals who are looking at our organization and do want to consider and hopefully implement this in their organizations as well."