What is indicated by a white armband?

A white armband is commonly used in healthcare settings to signify the patient's name and identification. This is essential for patient safety, ensuring that healthcare providers can easily verify the identity of a patient before administering treatments or medications. Accurate identification helps prevent errors, such as administering the wrong treatment to a patient or confusing one patient with another.

In contrast, other color-coded armbands serve different purposes: for instance, an isolation alert typically uses a different color to indicate that a patient requires precautions due to infection or exposure risks. Similarly, a color associated with blood type and cross-matching would signal specific needs related to blood transfusion. A DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) order also has a designated color code that alerts staff to a patient's wishes regarding resuscitation efforts.

Thus, the white armband's designated role is specifically for identifying the patient, which is crucial for the overall safety and efficiency of patient care in healthcare facilities.