Patient Identification Errors in the Hospital Setting: A Prospective Observational Study

Abstract

Background and aim: In every aspect of clinical care, including diagnostic testing and medication administration, patient identification (ID) errors can disrupt care and harm patients. The study assesses healthcare workers' frequency and accuracy in verifying patient identity before performing common tasks and develops a proposed patient verifying identity program clinical model to meet the training needs of healthcare workers. Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted at Al-Najaf Teaching Hospital from March to May 2022. Data collection was done through a questionnaire and participatory observation. Hundred-forty healthcare workers participated in the study: 52 clinic doctors, 27 registered nurses, 34 information officers, 17 pharmacists, 4 radiologists, and 6 outpatient hospital doctors. Results: The majority of participants (62.1%) were female. The majority of the 40 participants (28.6%) worked in the operating room. Furthermore, the majority of the participants (82.1%) did not ask the patients for their names and dates of birth (DOB). Clinic doctors made up the majority of those who did not complete the identification process (37.1%). Conclusion: More than three-quarters of healthcare workers missed patient identification while performing a task. Although patient identification errors frequently result in serious adverse events that can be avoided with better training, better use of technology may improve the way healthcare workers verify patients' identities.