Hospital hat badges 'help put patients at ease'

A patient who underwent major spinal surgery said being able to identify surgical staff by badge names on their hats helped to put him at ease.

Theatre staff at Musgrove Hospital have been trying out name badges on surgical hats in an effort to make it easier for the operating team and patients to identify each other.

The hats have also been introduced at the maternity unit at Swindon's Great Western Hospital and Somerset NHS Trust said it planned to roll them out for all operating theatres.

Denis Gower, who had an operation on his spine, said: "It puts you at ease and it makes you feel as if... you're part of their team."

Former medical professional Danielle Checketts, from the medical clothing company Eco Ninjas, designed the hats after finding she was being misidentified by people, including patients, when wearing scrubs during her surgeon training days.

Name badges cannot be worn on surgical scrubs because they compromise strict sterility protocols.

The reusable hats feature bright name and role badges which are designed to improve communication and patient safety in operating theatres and delivery suites.

Gower said he recently underwent a major spine operation at the hospital, a long procedure which he described as "quite invasive".

But he said being able to identify staff in the operating theatre helped to put him "at ease."

He said: "It makes you feel as if they're human, the same as we are.

"Your life is in their hands.

"For me, it's very reassuring that there are names and they are actually human beings."

Consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Musgrove Park Hospital Andy Stevenson said it was beneficial for patients to be able to clearly identify members of staff.

He said the hats had also helped to improve safety and communication in the team.

"When your name gets used, it actually keeps you more highly attentive," he said.

"It's called the 'cocktail room effect' where - if you hear your name being spoken - you automatically click in to a slightly more attentive psychological state."

The scheme is currently in the extended pilot phase of the rollout.

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