The Dangers of Bracelets

From American Medical News:
The worlds of fashion, fund-raising and patient safety have collided, and the result is a rainbow of colored bracelets that can indicate either support for scientific research or the contents of a patient's living will.
At issue are bracelets that show support for a cause and are the same color as the bracelets hospitals use to identify patients with do-not-resuscitate orders or for other designations. There are concerns about patient safety because, even though the bracelets are made of different materials, the similar colors might cause confusion during an emergency.

"About a month ago, one of the nurses in our health system identified that the Lance Armstrong yellow bracelet could be confused with our DNR yellow bracelet," said Lisa Johnson, RN, Morton Plant Mease Health Care vice president, patient services.

"Seconds count in a decision whether to resuscitate someone or not," Johnson said. "In the highly charged environment of a cardiac pulmonary arrest, we don't want any confusion whatsoever."