Suzanne wrote:
> At a Birth Center you know all the attending staff b/c there are so few of them,

Yes, I agree. At many hospitals today, everyone wears scrubs - the docs, the nurses, the
housekeepers, etc., and it is hard to read an ID badge at a distance. This makes it very
difficult for patients to identify personnel unless they have seen them before, close up.
In the old days, when ppl wore distinctive uniforms, there was less chance of inadvertantly
asking the dietary aide for a painkiller. I am not saying that uniforms are a good thing
per se, but it did lessen the confusion. When my sister trained as a nurse in the 1970's in
England, the patients were handed a flyer explaining the different uniforms worn by trainee
nurses, staff nurses, sisters, the houskeeping staff, etc. It made it much more difficult
for a prospective baby-snatcher to pass themselves off as hospital staff.


Norma Ritter IBCLC, LLLL
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"If not now, when? If not us, who?" R. Hillel