Technology has influenced industries in recent years, and the health care business is no exception. Patient identification technologies have transformed service delivery and patient experience.
A vital aspect of patient safety is precisely identifying a patient and connecting the patient’s identification with the appropriate treatment or service. However, the patient may receive medication intended for someone else when done incorrectly.
Medication errors, incompatible blood transfusion responses, inability to treat illness, and operations on the wrong patient can result from incorrect patient identification. The hospital management requires patient care teams to identify the patient using two pieces of identification.
Let’s look at how crucial patient identification is and how to implement it.
What are the benefits of positive patient identification?
Information flow is critical in hospitals since patient safety and privacy is paramount. The process in which the information is collected and stored in healthcare facilities has to be modern. Patients who are well-identified reap a variety of benefits, including:
- It enhances privacy protection.
Many patients store their data at the hospital, and while it is not that sensitive, it is subject to individual personal rights. This personal data is like fresh oil to a new business or service, especially when it falls into the wrong hands and impacts your lives.
- Improve patient data registries.
The volume of data accessible might be used to enhance regional health outcomes by providing professionals with information on spatial health trends and facilitating scientific investigations. The process is made feasible by a positive patient identification.
- It has improved patient safety.
Positive patient identification minimizes patient mismatches, enhancing patient safety by ensuring that no patients receive the incorrect treatments or medications. Accurate patient identification would help eliminate privacy issues such as sending online results to the wrong patient.
What are the best practices for implementing patient identification?
- Make sure you have two-factor authentication set up.
This element is compatible with other information such as a home address and a medical identification number to minimize misidentification. Taking down the patient’s full name and date of birth and any additional information will help you confirm their identity and ensure accurate data input for each patient you’ve identified.
- Present the identity during the process.
Proof of identity is standard procedure, particularly for adult patients, such as a driver’s license or identification photo. Healthcare facilities should upgrade their identifying systems by utilizing automated identification methods such as barcoding and biometrics.
- Establishing a standard protocol.
Every industry requires a standard protocol, which is frequently used as the cornerstone for all processes. Steps to follow while validating the patient’s identification and information can be found in the standard procedure of the healthcare system.
- Taking photos for medical records.
Medical identity theft and healthcare fraud are essential issues that plague the medical industry. Taking photos of patients for medical records is a crucial place to start for healthcare providers who want to end these problems. These techniques can also help healthcare workers provide therapy to the correct patient. It will be easier to match the patient with photos in their database in the future when validating the patient.
Conclusion.
Errors resulting from incorrect patient identification continue to be a significant concern for the healthcare system. It has a significant financial and moral impact on institutions, not to mention the patient’s well-being and safety.
Hospitals and medical facilities may significantly improve the patient identification process by incorporating automated technology such as biometrics. Not only will it make the staff’s tasks more straightforward, but it also assists them in preventing mistakes that could have disastrous effects.
