Hospital barcoding helps improve patient safety. Wristbands with barcode data printed at patient registration help to clearly identify the patient, any medication allergies, chronic health conditions and other patient-critical information. Thermal printers are ideally suited for printing many small images and bar codes with a sharp, long-lasting, highly reliable, scanable image. Patients' wristbands stay with them throughout their hospital visit and so the printed images must withstand exposure to a variety of substances, such as moisture, sanitizers, chemicals and solvents. Likewise, barcode labels used in hospital environments must have the same properties. That's why, says the Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), you should "print on fluid-resistant labels using thermal printers."
To learn more about hospital barcoding, get our free ebook, Hospital Barcoding.