In the past, wristbands of all different colors would greet visitors at various hospitals across the state of Missouri. Some meant that a patient was a fall risk, while others represented an allergy warning. The problem was the colors of the wristbands were as diverse as the patients wearing them. Well, not anymore.

Recently, Missouri became the eighth state in the country-and the first in the Midwest-to set forth an initiative to standardize wristband colors at hospitals across the state. The patient safety measure is expected to reduce confusion for the many health professionals that work in multiple facilities. Now, yellow indicates a patient is a fall risk, red represents an allergy warning, and purple means do-not-resuscitate.

The eventual hope is for all states to adopt the colors, as those that have so far have stayed consistent.

Sources: Missouri Center for Patient Safety press release, Kansas City Nursing News, and St. John’s (Joplin, MO) Medical Center press release