Patient Identification in the Prevention of Errors and Adverse Events: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Introduction: When it comes to patient safety, physicians make efforts to avoid any harm that may be caused to the patient during treatment or therapy, which is an important aspect of healthcare. Patient identification plays a crucial role in the healthcare system and involves several steps to ensure patient safety. This helps to address deficiencies and prevent medical errors and/or adverse events. Objectives: To describe the scientific evidence regarding correct patient identification as a factor in reducing adverse events and medical errors. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted in Scopus, Web of Science, and Pubmed. Conclusions: Labeling and/or double verification systems for patients or samples in hospital settings resulted in a significant decrease in patient identification errors. However, due to the small sample size of the studies found, standardization is necessary for future meta-analyses or recommendations with a higher level of evidence. The importance of accurate patient identification in the healthcare setting was highlighted, and strategies to improve patient identification accuracy and reduce patient identification errors were presented.