Patient Identification

Abstract

Safe care begins with proper identification. Focusing on Patient Identification, Goal 1 of The Joint Commission’s 2022 National Patient Safety Goals, this chapter draws attention to the ubiquitous consistency of patient identification concerns throughout the entire continuum of care. The authors provide a detailed understanding of potential risks and consequences of patient misidentification, means of effective identification, event analysis and subsequent effective prevention, and the importance of a culture of safety. ‘Patient Identification’ provides two case study analyses of actual de-identified events of patient misidentification. Each case is broken down using root cause analysis methodology (including a flow chart, fish bone diagram, and a care process map), taking a reader step-by-step through the process of identifying case related root causes of patient misidentification. Thereafter, various corrective actions are discussed, which have been shown to effectively address the identified root causes of patient misidentification.