[Syringe drug labels: a French national survey]. / Enquête nationale sur le marquage des seringues d'anesthésie en France.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The French Society of Anaesthesiology (SFAR) recommends the use of pre printed self-stick syringe labels. However, French anaesthesia-syringe labelling customs is yet unknown. STUDY DESIGN: Therefore, a national phone survey was performed in order to investigate this issue. RESULTS: Forty-five percent of the answering centers (324/722) used colour self-stick labels, with a larger proportion in public centers and a large regional variability. The kind of colour code differed from an area to another. Among centers using colour labels, the international recommended colour code was used in only 36% of them. The majority of health care providers declare to be favourable to the use of the colour self-stick labels and the standardization of the colour code as well. A relationship between the University hospital and the surrounded area has been observed for the use of the colour labels and the choice of the colour code. CONCLUSION: Colour labels are used in France by nearly half of the centers, but international colour code is less spread.