KidMATCH
Infant Security - Infant Switching

It's estimated that approximately 10 infants are abducted and more than 20,000 accidental infant switches occur in U.S. hospitals each year.*

Nearly all of the infants that are accidentally given to a wrong mother are quickly recovered in the hospital, but if the wrong mother breastfeeds the infant; then whatever that mother had (STD, hepatitis or just the flu) could be transmitted to the infant.

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) now defines both infant abduction AND infant switching as a Sentinel Event. A hospital that fails to provide an appropriate response to the occurrence of such an event risks the loss of its JCAHO accreditation.

* Reported by: The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, NBC Nightly News, NBC Dateline, TIME magazine, Parenting Magazine, The Washington Post and numerous other television and print media.

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KidMatch Benefits

Accidental Infant Switching Protection
The traditional practice of visually checking I.D. numbers on the infant's and the mother's bracelet usually works, but accidents do happen. Staff gets busy, numbers can be transposed, things happen.

The KidMATCH system "requires" hospital staff to use a KidMATCH Barcode Reader each time they bring the infant to the mother's room. If a match, then an audible tune (lullaby) is heard by all present. If a mismatch, then an alarm sounds so the infant is NOT given to the wrong mother.

Once a "match" is performed the Reader will automatically store the date, time and type of match information. The match data for any infant can be easily recalled to obtain a high-integrity Medical/ Legal Record that documents the infant matches with his/her mother at birth, throughout the hospital stay and at discharge.

Infant Abduction Protection
We believe the best security actively involves people rather than relying solely on equipment. KidMATCH is a people-oriented system that involves everyone in the room. Although infant abductions are rare, nearly all occur when the mother voluntarily gives up her infant to an abductor who is masquerading as hospital staff.

The KidMATCH system "requires" hospital staff to use the KidMATCH Barcode Reader each time they take the infant from the mother's room. Everyone knows - NO TUNE, NO BABY! Even if the mother is tired and groggy, it is easy for her to ask: "I want to hear the tune".

The KidMATCH system also provides an extensive Marketing Assistance Program for the hospital to tell the community that it takes infant security very seriously. We believe an abductor will think twice about trying to take an infant from a hospital that has an infant security system.

Easy to Use
The use of the KidMATCH requires minimal, if any, change from current protocol. Clinicians put on the mother/infant bracelets, just like they normally do. Clinicians discard the bracelets at discharge or can send the family home with the bracelets, just like they normally do.

KidMATCH may even simplify nurse tasks. The snug-fit bracelet can be tightened, by simply pulling on the loose end, but it can't be loosened because it is uni-directional. Clinicians won't have to try and read the I.D. numbers on the bracelets in low light conditions. Clinicians won't have to hand document "match" information on the patient's chart. Clinicians won't have to worry about whether the numbers were accidentally read wrong, transposed or written down wrong. KidMATCH is for single use only so there is no need to reprocess anything or worry about cross contamination.

Scanning a barcode is fast, easy and requires a minimal skill level. It is a proven, reliable system that has been used for years in almost every industry.

Medical/Legal Record
The KidMATCH system can provide a high integrity Medical/Legal Record for each infant. The Medical/Legal record can be produced by the hospital, on site, at any time.

The Medical/Legal record can be a printed hardcopy and/or be archived by the hospital for future reference. Each record details the date, time and type of match. The hospital can now show…

• The infant was given to the right mother at birth.
• The infant was always "matched" with the right mother during the hospital stay.
• If an accident occurred, it was resolved BEFORE it became a potential problem.
• The infant was discharged from the hospital with the right mother.
• The record will also document the matches between the infant and "whatever" the hospital wants to match to the infant.

Marketing Assistance Program
The Marketing Assistance Program can be used by the hospital to demonstrate its concern about infant security to the community.

It should help attract patients to the hospital because parents do have a choice on where to have their baby. Parents are concerned about security and the KidMATCH program can help make parents feel comfortable and secure.

The Marketing Assistance Program also "tells" a potential abductor that you take infant security very seriously and they should think twice before selecting your hospital as their crime site.

Management Tool
A manager can easily determine if the clinicians on a particular shift are properly matching infants and mothers by "spot" reviewing an Infant's KidMATCH Record.

If the Record shows no matches where there should be some or few matches where there should be more; then the manager knows a problem needs to be addressed.

The Infant's Record WILL NOT identify the particular clinicians(s) who are not performing the task; so no one has to worry that the system is out to "get" them.

The Record can be used to "fix the problem" rather than assign blame. The manager can use the information to remind all the nurses that they need to be sure they perform the "match" function.

Match "whatever" to the Infant
The KidMATCH system also offers optional Collateral Stickers that match an infant's barcode.

The hospital can now match whatever they want to a specific infant. For example, the hospital can "sticker" milk bottles in the NICU to make sure that a neonate will only receive his/her mother's milk.

Comforting to Parents
Parents do have a choice on where to have their baby, even under managed care, and they are concerned about their infant's security.

Each time KidMATCH correctly matches mom with her baby, she and everyone else in the room hear the KidMATCH Reader play a lullaby. Almost everyone thinks the lullaby is cute and comforting.

A mother is not sick when she comes to a hospital to have a baby and she usually wants to have some degree of control over the entire process. The mother knows that even if she is tired and groggy, she and anyone else in the room can ask for and then hear the KidMATCH tune.

Install on the Hospital's Computer Network
The KidMATCH Software and Upload Station is only required if the hospital wants the optional Medical/Legal Record (for each infant). The software and upload station is used to automatically transfer the match data from the hand-held Reader to a computer system.

The KidMATCH Software can be easily loaded onto the hospital's network system and any workstation can be selected to utilize the KidMATCH Program. Talon provides a blanket license for each hospital.

The hospital can also load the KidMATCH Software on a stand-alone computer if so desired.

Low Cost - High Value
KidMATCH has a low capital and disposable cost that is in line with the associated risk of an infant abduction or accidental infant switching.

KidMATCH has a typical capital cost of less than $10,000 per hospital and a disposable cost of less than $5 per family.

KidMATCH provides a lot of value for a very reasonable price. The hospital obtains Infant Abduction Protection, Accidental Infant Switching Protection, a High-Integrity Medical/Legal Record and a Marketing Assistance Program to let the community know that you take infant security seriously and to help attract patients to your hospital.

KidMATCH may also help the hospital from incurring a catastrophic type of expense associated with either an infant abduction or an accidental infant switching event. The expense of not having a system could include: loss of business from bad press, the cost of litigation or a settlement and lifetime testing of an infant and the mother in the case of a switching event.

U.S. Patent# 5,423,574 and 5,608,382.