Get some good advice on complying with patient identification
Accreditation Connection, November 5, 2004
In 2005, the JCAHO wants your staff to use at least two patient identifiers not only when administering medications/ blood products or when drawing blood samples, but also when taking other specimens for clinical testing or providing "any other treatments or procedures."
This new goal formalizes a safety measure that many hospitals already practice. Be prepared to show JCAHO how you monitor staff adherence to this measure. Here are a few tips from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP).
* Ensure that two identifiers are readily available and clearly legible to staff for verification.
* When entering orders, require pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to compare each patient's name and identification number in his or her computer profile to the order. Likewise, require unit secretaries to compare the information on the order form and medication administration record when transcribing orders.
* Label cardiac monitors that display multiple patients' rhythms with patient names by using a standardized verification process that involves two individuals. In these settings, patients' lives could very well depend on rapid and accurate patient identification and treatment.
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