The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 275 No 7360 p129
30 July 2005

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Mistakes in identification put patients at risk

There is a lack of systematic and standardised processes to support the identification of patients so that health care staff can match them to their care, treatment and records, a report on patient safety incidents in England and Wales, published by the National Patient Safety Agency this week, has found.

“Reports involving mistaken identification have been filed from almost every acute discipline, but principally seem to involve mistakes in medication,” says Peter Furness, clinical specialty adviser, pathology, at the NPSA, in a patient safety bulletin accompanying the report.

Between November 2003 and March 2005, 493 incidents in which mismatches between patients and their care had occurred were reported to the NPSA. One in eight of these involved missing wristbands or discrepancies between information on the wristband and other documentation. The NPSA is preparing advice, for the autumn, for the NHS to reduce the risk of mismatching and is undertaking further work to assess the potential of using electronic technologies to reduce the risk to patients.


News feature p135