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Patient identification error can cause a patient serious harm and in some instances even death.
Patient identification error can occur at any step in the medical process. It can occur with doctors, nurses, lab technicians, pharmacists, or billing.
Can patient identification error lead to medical malpractice claims?
Patient identification errors can lead to medical malpractice claims and personal injury lawsuits. If hospitals, doctors offices, or labs, or pharmacies have made an error in their records, patients who have suffered due to this type of error may sue for damages. Some common patient identification errors include medical charting errors, mix ups at labs, and medication errors.
How can medical professionals reduce the chance of patient identification errors?
Medical professionals can require the patient to provide identification and then request face-to-face meetings so that they errors are less likely during the registration process.
Medical personnel doing charting can reduce the change of patient identification errors by focusing on the single task at hand. If they try to multi-task they may end up being distracted and making errors. Also being thorough with their questions and not skipping or cutting corners will help make sure there are no errors that could lead to problems down the line.
Laboratory errors often occur when non-healthcare staff are in placed in charge of labeling or processing the specimens. This can be reduced by using healthcare staff and keeping strict protocols for processing the specimens.
Surgeons can avoid errors by reading through all the medical records thoroughly and catching any mistakes before the procedure takes place.
Hospital staff can minimize medical identification error by being careful when placing wristbands on patients. Double-checking medical records and then making sure bands are secure on the patients wrists will reduce errors.
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