How to Keep Labels on Tricky, Hard-to-Label Surfaces

(The NICU Test)

DECEMBER 12, 2023

There are all sorts of surfaces in labs, hospitals, and clinics that need to be clearly labeled with patient information, allergy labeling, and various color-coding.

The problem is all the surfaces - if we were only talking about flat cardboard or paper, or clean wood & laminate surfaces, labels would be all we would need. But there are more kinds of surfaces than you can shake a Resident at; vials, IV pumps, carts, binders with slick or rough surfaces, charts, beds, sharps containers, and much more...

That's why...

The best label is not a label. It's tape. Here's why:

Our color-code tape on a patient binder in a NICU. Read on to find out why it's the perfect solution...

We're Social. Like a Labradoodle:

1. Tape can more easily wrap around small cylinder shapes (syringes, test tubes, IV lines, etc.) than labels.

Labels are thicker, and so they "flag"- the corner comes off. Tape is thinner, and doesn't have that "memory" - so it'll wrap and stick!

2. Our tape is always clean-remove.

Patient charts, doors, IV carts, shelves - anywhere you put it, it'll stay... but then it'll remove.

3. Works when permanent and removable labels both fail.

That binder above has a surface that makes normal removable labels fall off. Permanent labels are obviously no good either, since we re-use binders.

So our NICU nurse labels with our Color-Code Tape, wrapping the ends around the cover. It works flawlessly - and it removes cleanly after every successful patient!