PPB October 2020

Using Color-Coded Uniforms Ensures Identi cation And Safety One way that brands across all industries can help distinguish the role or rank of workers is through color-coded uniforms. Particularly helpful in front-facing positions, such as health care, trade shows and exhibitions, sales and customer service, color-coded uniforms can maintain organization by communicating important information to customers about the employee’s position. In health care, many hospitals use a color-coded scrub system to help patients identify staff members. LewisGale Hospital in Pulaski, Virginia, uses colored scrubs to distinguish by department: black for physical therapy, grape for pharmacy, pewter gray for radiology, ciel blue for respiratory therapy, Caribbean blue for lab, and navy and white for registered nurses and licensed practical nurses. Encompass Group, a McDonough, Georgia-based supplier, recently introduced its Group One ® Uniform Apparel Program, a color-coded apparel program and solution to assist brands looking to create caregiver role identity and reinforce their messaging. Through this program, the supplier caters to a wide range of health-care clients, from primary care and dental offices to senior living facilities and IDNs (a group of health-care providers). To learn more about what kinds of companies are using the apparel program and how these programs work, PPB spoke with Deanna Leonard, Encompass Group’s vice president and general manager, professional healthcare apparel. PPB How are companies using color-coded uniforms, and how are different colors being used to distinguish workers? Leonard Customers adopt these programs for five key reasons: branding, security, patient experience, employee satisfaction and ease of ordering. While every customer is different, the desire for an easy-to-use color-coded program is universal. We do see a fairly common trend in that most programs utilize navy for their nursing staffs and ceil blue for operating room staffs. Outside of that, there is a great deal of variety in their color choices by department, however, black, charcoal, pewter, navy and royal colors do tend to rise to the top of the color hierarchy. Patients appreciate being able to identify who is who based on the color uniform the health-care employee is wearing. From a security standpoint, it’s quick to identify who does not belong on your floor. From an employee satisfaction standpoint, we have often heard that color-coded uniforms “make us feel like we are part of a bigger team.” And from a branding standpoint, having custom-embroidered uniforms helps you stand out in a crowded space. Most hospitals and health systems that adopt a dress code elect to color-code attire by job role—for example, all registered nurses may wear dark blue, surgeons may wear green, and so forth. This allows patients to easily differentiate who is who merely by scrub color, without the caregiver having to introduce themselves. “Patient-first” is certainly not a new idea. We all know the importance of understanding the patient/customer experience and providing a better care experience, but how would standardizing health-care personnel attire support a customer-centric culture? Put yourself into a patient’s shoes for a moment, especially an elderly patient, or perhaps a parent with a sick child. You’re sick, upset to be in the hospital, and people are coming and going through your room and you don’t know why. On patient satisfaction surveys, patients often comment on caregivers’ lack of professional appearance and their inability to identify who was in their room. This is obviously upsetting for patients and can affect who they trust to provide their care. A lack of a provider dress code not only contributes to patients’ inability to identify who is in the room, but also why that provider is in their room. PPB What is some of the feedback that you’ve heard about color- coded uniform programs? Leonard We hear all kinds of wonderful feedback on a regular basis and are humbled to be in this business. Everything from the comment I referenced above, “Having a uniform program makes me feel like I am part of a bigger team,” and “I appreciate how easy the ordering site is to use,” and “You have wonderful customer service and they really do go the extra mile.” Many different teams manage these programs at facilities and they all respond very positively to the ability to pull reports, track spending and ensure their employees are taking full advantage of the service. It is key for us to ensure we are making their very busy jobs as easy as possible. | OCTOBER 2020 | 37 INNOVATE