Laboratory labels, over the years, have proven decisive to life and death outcomes across health institutions. Such is their importance to the healthcare sector that FMI (Future Market Insights) projects that the market for healthcare laboratory tags/labels will reach US$ 22.7 billion by 2030.
Incredible stats! And it makes you wonder: what is the big deal about lab labels? What benefits do they even offer health practitioners?
Read on to find answers to those questions and other vital details you should know about laboratory labels!
Understanding Laboratory Labels
The Beginning
No statistics would prove this, but health personnel has one of the worst handwriting of any professionals. It’s not like the calligraphy is aesthetically displeasing.
No, not that!
Yet, you can hardly interpret what our saviors in white or blue write. And it’s not only you; even these health practitioners confuse themselves.
To solve the handwriting conundrum; health aids came up with labels. These devices help health practitioners to identify, retrieve, and track test samples. How?
A typical lab tag promotes clarity through bold and informative engravings. Some are even barcodes or alphanumerics.
Either way, personnel understand the instructions, and with it, they communicate effectively towards better outcomes for their patients.
Materials and Forms
While cardboard would fall off or wear off, lab tags withstand such limitations. Designed to withstand environmental lapses; these tags come in a range of materials:
- Paper
- Plastic
- Thermal printables
- Water-soluble media
Also, to ease comprehension, lab tags are need-specific. Some of the usual features include:
- Contamination signals
- Cryogenic identifiers
- Equipment tags
- Reagent tags
- Tube tags
- Warning tags
- Vial and straw tags
In the end, the various tags have one goal: help health practitioners take precise actions. When they do, they prevent undue hazards.
Now, let’s see the specific benefits of lab labels!
Why are Laboratory Tags Important?
Compliance to Safety Protocols
Do you know that one of the first lessons you learn at any health institution is how to write and read labels? Why is it like that?
Administrators of those institutions understand that a misinterpreted label or unlabeled vial is health-dangerous – not only to the patients but also to their personnel.
Imagine not labeling an acid! Anyone could easily misuse it for another purpose. Anyone? Even you, the culprit, can mistakenly accrue danger to yourself in the process.
Furthermore, each company maintains standard labeling. So, if you mislabeled a tube, you hinder teamwork and the overall effectiveness of the system.
So, you see: labeling is a standard safety procedure for all health organizations. And when you do it rightly, you will generate test results and data accurately – and with ease.
Saves You Face, Money, and Time
Perhaps you don’t regard teamwork, what about your reputation? No one will forget that you cost a patient his life.
Another thing is the money and time you wasted! When you fail to label your lab equipment, you risk re-doing. And that cost you money.
Take reagents as an example; they are quite expensive to generate and maintain. Now you eventually did get one but failed to label such accordingly.
Who will now pay for the new test? What about the time wasted and the damages?
One thing remains constant through it all: lab labels/tags are big deals!