Scanning Babies For Security

At a Chicago area hospital bracelets with barcodes are worn on newborns and their families to help hospital workers avoid separation mistakes, reports Correspondent Burleigh Hines of CBS affiliate WBBM-TV reports.

Parents at Lutheran General Hospital are keen on the idea of reducing the potential for human error.

"It's wonderful. You can never have enough security with a new baby. I feel very safe that they're checking both me, my husband, and my son. I feel tremendous" Stacy Leber, new mom.

Bar code strips are placed on the newborn baby's ankle and wrist, another goes on the mother and a fourth on the father.

The technology, called 'Kid-Match', gives off a sound that indicates if the baby is matched correctly.

"It is estimated that there are approximately 23,000 switching incidents that occur in hospitals across the country annually," said Lisa Murphy of Premier Medical Products, the manufacturer of 'Kid-Match'.

"We felt that is was a real good idea to try to make everyone feel comfortable and reassured," said Edward Linn of Lutheran General Hospital.

So far, the barcoding method is a sweet sound to a new mother's ears.