Keeping track of patients belongings

Care of patient belongings and valuables is a responsibility for all medical providers and care facilities, who must take active steps to protect patients’ interests. Although many hospitals try to discourage patients from bringing personal possessions into the hospital, many patients need accessories such as mobile phones, hearing aids, and dentures during their stay.

Trauma patients who are admitted, sometimes in a confused or unconscious state, may also be in possession of valuable items, such as jewellery, cash or laptops. Some patients may lack the capacity to care for their own possessions and some, who sadly pass away during their hospital stay may have personal belongings that need to be returned to family.

 

How can nursing staff ensure that possessions secured and kept safe, while they are busy caring for patients ?

SMARTSafe™ Property Bags can support nursing staff and hospitals by providing a simple to use property management system links patients to their belongings with barcodes and a wristband. SMARTSafe Bags  were designed by nurses to provide a secure place for belongings at point of care.

 

SMARTSafe™ Patient Property Bags are:

• An optimal size to store valuable possessions such as jewellery, dentures, glasses, hearing aids, shoes, and clothes.
• Extremely secure once sealed, so items cannot accidentally fall out.
• Tamperproof to prevent expensive belongings from being stolen.
• Traceable, featuring a barcode that can be scanned by hospitals with the appropriate equipment, linking patients to property.

 

SMARTSafe™ Patient Property Bags: Proving their worth during the pandemic

SMARTSafe™ Patient Property Bags have been widely used by hospitals before and increasingly so, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when large volumes of patients were passing through hospitals, with many acknowledging that keeping track of patients’ personal possessions was a growing problem.

They also proved to be invaluable in helping staff to return property to loved ones, helping to reduce the mental stress and anguish for both next of kin and staff alike.