Patient Identification Errors
Preventing patient identification errors has been an area of significant research and work for many years. While much progress has been made, there is still work to be done. This article serves to review some landmark publications relating to patient identification errors over the last 15 years and summarize where this important focus is heading.
Definition
Defining patient identification and errors thereof can vary based on the focus and goals of the organization. Here are a few definitions of patient identification.
Joint Commission – Using acceptable person-specific identifiers, such as the patient’s name, an assigned identification number, or telephone number, patient identification is the process to reliably the individual as the person for whom the service or treatment is intended and to match service or treatment to that individual [1].
ECRI – Patient identification is the process of correctly matching a patient to appropriately intended interventions and communicating information about the patient’s identity accurately and reliably throughout the continuum of care [2].
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology – Accurate patient identification ensures that the information presented by and entered into the Electronic Health Record (EHR) is associated with the correct person [3].
Organizations Involved
Joint Commission (JC) –
National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) –
National Quality Forum (NQF) –
World Health Organization (WHO) –
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology –
ECRI Institute –
History
2007 – The World Health Organization’s Collaborating Centre for Patient Safety Solutions unveiled nine solutions to prevent healthcare errors that harm millions of people throughout the world. One solution focused on correct patient identification. It was noted that failures to correctly identify patients is widespread and recommendations placed emphasis on methods for verifying patient identity [4].
2014 – The Office of the National Coordinator for the Health Information Technology, in conjunction with Dean Sitting, PhD; Joan Ash, PhD, MLS, MBA; and Hardeep Singh, MD, MPH release the Safety Assurance Factors for EHR Resilience (SAFER) Guides. These guides are designed to help healthcare organizations conduct self-assessments to optimize the safety and safe use of EHRs in nine distinct areas, one being patient identification [3].
Future Directions
Given the importance as well as the number of organizations interested in improving and preventing patient identification errors, this topic will remain a focus for years to come. Discussion NQF and ECRI recommendations as possible future directions.
Summary
References
- ↑ The Joint Commission. National Patient Safety Goals Effective January 1, 2015. 2015. http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/6/2015_NPSG_HAP.pdf
- ↑ ECRI Institute. Patient Identification: Executive Summary. August 2016. https://www.ecri.org/Pages/Patient-Identification-Deep-Dive.aspx
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Safety Assurance Factors for EHR Resilience Guides. January 2014. https://www.healthit.gov/safer/
- ↑ The World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Patient Safety Solutions. Nine Patient Safety Solutions. 2007. http://www.who.int/patientsafety/events/07/02_05_2007/en/
Submitted by Kyle Marshall
