Month: April 2026

Countless wound care decisions are made each day in community pharmacies. Wounds Australia reports that more than 450,000 Australians experience chronic wounds each year and each patient faces out-of-pocket costs of about $4,000 each to manage them. 

Management of acute wounds sits within the scope of practice of every pharmacist, with some now developing more extensive skills. Busy pharmacy staff are moving between prescriptions, stock control and customer conversations. Even small delays in identifying the right product can lead to longer queues at the counter. 

Medstock’s colour-coded packaging was developed to reduce that friction – indeed, we were one of the first to introduce this concept, drawing on our own clinical experience with time management when undertaking wound care tasks .

Download our colour-coded guide

Designed for real-world workflow

Medstock uses colour families to simplify the process of dressing selection for pharmacy customers and staff:

  • Yellow: Fabric island dressings for minor wounds such as grazes and abrasions
  • Orange: Non-stick pads requiring secondary fixation
  • Pink: Silicone range for fragile skin and skin tears
  • Green and dark green:  Transparent island and film dressings for those recovering from surgery
  • Blue: Thin hydrocolloid for dry wounds and minor burns
  • Red: Foam non-adhesive for ulcerated wounds
  • Army green: Alginate for higher absorption and bleeding control
  • Grey: Super absorber for heavily weeping wounds.
     

This grouping enables you to assess the wound and narrow down product selection more quickly. 

Wound care remains complex, and dressing selection depends on several factors. Colour-coding is intended as a practical starting point, but some wounds may fall into more than one colour category. 

For example:

  • Minor burns may require a hydrocolloid dressing (blue) or a non-stick pad (orange).
  • Ulcers may require foam non-adhesive (red) or alginate (army green), depending on fluid output.

Supporting real-world pharmacy practice

Community pharmacy is a high-interruption environment where pharmacists balance dispensing, counselling, management and patient enquiries in parallel.

Even experienced staff may feel rushed when advising a customer. When every dressing box looks similar, they must pause to read the fine print, resulting in microdelays or mistakes. 

Colour-coded packaging supports:

  • Instant visual differentiation on shelves 
  • Clear distinction between fluid levels and dressing types
  • Faster stock retrieval.

For distributors and pharmacy partners, this translates to:

  • Fewer selection errors
  • Smoother onboarding of new staff
  • Reduced product confusion during busy periods.

Faster decision-making in practice

Consistent colour coding enables staff to narrow options more efficiently before confirming final clinical suitability.

When dispensing medications, research in hospital pharmacy found that colour-coded zones for rapidly dispensed medications can improve efficiency and medication safety by making retrieval faster and more intuitive. 

While wound care selection is distinct from drug administration, the same principles apply. When products are clearly differentiated by colour, staff spend less time scanning labels and more time responding to customers.

In busy pharmacies, even small reductions in hesitation, rechecking and visual search can contribute to smoother workflows and more confident product selection.

Reduced staff hesitation and greater confidence

New staff, locums and pharmacy assistants may feel hesitant when navigating wound care ranges. A clearly structured colour system supports faster orientation.

Instead of memorising numerous product codes, staff learn high-level colour categories for certain wounds or skin types. That shared visual language reduces hesitation at the shelf and increases consistency in recommendations, particularly in pharmacy environments where wound care discussions may occur at the counter.

Operational benefit, not clinical oversimplification

It is important to reinforce that wound care is dynamic. Dressing choice must consider wound condition, surrounding skin and many other factors. As a wound heals, the most appropriate dressing may also change

Colour coding does not remove that complexity – and there may be times when the best advice a pharmacist can give is that the patient seeks medical or nursing care.

Supporting education and product adoption

For  pharmacy partners, colour coding supports:

  • Improved stock visibility and shelf presentation
  • Clearer catalogue and website presentation
  • Quicker product identification and narrowing
  • Reduced cognitive load for staff
  • More effective product demonstrations and internal training
  • Easier cross-selling within wound categories
  • Stronger brand consistency across the range. 

When staff understand the logic of the range, adoption increases. When adoption increases, repeat ordering follows.

Download our colour-coded guide

Medstock further supports this with QR codes on product pouches linking to application guidance and safe use information

Partner with a system built for busy pharmacy teams

Medstock’s colour-coded packaging is part of a broader commitment to practical clinical solutions designed for real-world healthcare settings.

To explore the full wound care range:

View our product range

For distributor enquiries or training resources, please contact us.

Disclaimer

This information is intended for healthcare professionals. 

References