Lanyards are the secret tool used throughout many businesses and organisations that can often go unnoticed but proved to be essential. This is particularly true in the healthcare sector where lanyards are being used to help improve patient care and safety across the UK.
In this article, we look at the role that lanyards can play within the healthcare sector and why they are proving to be so critical for everyone involved.
What is a lanyard?
Lanyards tend to hang around the neck of staff or visitors in a medical setting with the intention of carrying something useful. This is often something like an identity card, but it can carry a whole host of useful items.
These lanyards can be personalised according to the setting so they can be decorated with the name of the hospital or surgery, or alternatively, the particular Trust that they fall under. It is also possible to colour coordinate them to make different departments or levels of seniority obvious at a glance.
Medical personnel within the NHS are required to wear healthcare lanyards and this is increasingly becoming a feature in the private sector as well.
Patient safety
The biggest concern for anyone within the medical profession is the safety and care of their patients. Lanyards can play a big role in enhancing this, as they can help to build trust and reduce any errors or problems.
As a lanyard will usually display an identity card, it means it is easy to spot exactly who an individual is. These lanyards can differentiate between doctors, nurses, administrative staff and cleaners so it is easy for patients and their visitors to know who they are dealing with and whether they are in the right area.
This means it is much easier to spot anyone who is not authorised to be in a particular space. A lack of lanyard will mean that they are quickly questioned and can be directed to where they are supposed to be.
As the lanyard will be branded according to the healthcare setting, it is also easier for patients to see that the medical personnel they are dealing with have all the necessary credentials and can therefore help to build levels of trust with them.
Improved communication
Lanyards can be a big step in improving communication within a medical setting. It becomes much easier for patients and visitors to know who they are talking to and so they can ensure that they are getting the right advice. This will help them to know what department each person is part of and what level of seniority they hold.
Lanyards can also improve communication between staff members. Healthcare settings like hospitals can be massive places with huge numbers of staff, so it is impossible to recognise them all by sight. A lanyard can help staff members to quickly identify one another in order to understand who they need to speak to and what information should be shared.
This can foster a much greater sense of cooperation and allows people to work together properly when roles and the degree of responsibility each person holds is visible. Ultimately, this ensures that patients can get the best care possible and improve their outcomes.
Reducing transmission rates
Patients are likely to enter into healthcare settings with diseases and illnesses which are easily transmissible. When this is the case, it is important that any staff members who have had contact with them are identified quickly in order to prevent a virus such as COVID-19 from being spread around the setting.
As all staff members are required to wear lanyards, it is much easier for patients and their families to identify who they have come into contact with, in order to then slow the spread of any infections.
Access control
Not every staff member will be entitled to enter all areas of medical setting and will need authorisation to go into spaces where particular medication or equipment is kept. There may also be areas which are designated as clean spaces and so it is important to track who can come and go from these wards and rooms. Lanyards can help with this by being part of a wider access control system.
This means that all doors will have a security mechanism ensuring that they will only open when presented with the right identification card or key fob. Each card will have its own authorisation according to the individual who holds it, and this should be carried in a lanyard.
The lanyard can then be swiped against the access control system to grant access into the right areas for each member of staff and prevent anyone from going somewhere they are not allowed to.
Patient comfort
Any patient who finds themselves in a hospital, clinic or surgery is likely to be under a certain degree of stress. They will not only be contending with the symptoms of an illness or injury, but they are also likely to be anxious and fearful for their own outcomes.
A lanyard can often help to put members of the public at their ease. This is because they are able to see who they are dealing with straight away and can put their trust into the member of staff that is speaking to them.
When a patient feels as though they know the name and role of the person whose care they are under, they can often feel much more comfortable, and this can improve communication between patients and staff.
It is often the simplest tool which can have the greatest impact, and this is clear for anyone to see when looking at the use of lanyards in the healthcare sector. They have a significant role to play in helping to keep people safe and improve levels of communication and comfort.
Anyone working in the medical profession will understand exactly how important this could be in improving the outcomes for any patient who comes through their doors, and so it is clear to see that the power of a lanyard in a medical setting should not be underestimated.
Healthcare lanyards by We Print Lanyards
If you are looking for healthcare lanyards, then look no further than We Print Lanyards! We have a range of pre-designed healthcare lanyards or you can create your own with our free online design tool. Require assistance? Please contact us today and our friendly team will be on hand to help you.