Electronic wristband designed to reduce wrong-site surgeries
Patient Safety Monitor Alert
August 12, 2005
Marking incision sites is key to reducing wrong-site surgeries. A new product has been designed to sound an alarm whenever a physician forgets to mark the surgery site, according to a press release by CheckSite Medical, the group formed to develop the tool.The wristband contains an electronic device and a marker pen with a sticker on it. The physician marks the patient's surgery site, removes the sticker from the pen and attaches it to the wristband. If not, an alarm will sound when the wristband enters the designated area, usually the operating room.
The technology is similar to that used by retailers to prevent shoplifting, according to the press release. The wristband and pen system was invented by a physician at the Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis, MO.
The wristband and pen unit will sell for about $2.50, and detectors will cost between $7,000 and $8,000. To read the complete press release, click here.
