Читать книгу The Coming Healthcare Revolution: Take Control of Your Health - Sheldon Cohen M.D. - Страница 8

Misidentification in a hospital can cause the following:

Wrong blood could be administered that could harm or kill

•A wrong test is performed

•A wrong procedure is performed

•A test could be performed that was meant for another patient

•Wrong treatment or intravenous fluids or medication meant for another patient may be dispensed

Therefore, patients must never object to wearing a wrist identification bracelet. There have been considerable identification errors, so safety measures are now in place. First, it has been determined that using two identifiers improves reliability. The possibility that there can be more than one patient in the hospital with the same name is the reason for the double identification process. The two identifiers come from the following list:

•Name

•An identification number

•Telephone number

•Address

•Photograph

•Social security number

•Other patient-specific identifiers

An example: in a surgical suite, the operating room staff should ask all conscious patients their name, date of birth or another identifier and check this information against the wristband, consent form and other documents. Only then should the surgical site be marked.

Barcode technology is another patient identifier. The wristband, patient specimens, medications and blood all have the same barcode and they must match with every therapeutic or diagnostic procedure performed.

Patients must be certain that they undergo proper identification when approached by hospital or clinic personnel.

Wrong site procedures include wrong person, wrong site, wrong organ, and wrong implant. This error is preventable, but does occur. Eighty-eight cases occurred in 2005. Preventive protocols are in place:

•During the pre-procedure stage, verbal questioning, by wristband and by consent form must identify patients. The procedure, site, and any prosthesis or implant must also be identified

•Whoever performs the procedure must mark the preoperative site while the patient is awake and aware

•The entire operating room staff will take a “time out:” a time period where no clinical activity is taking place and all staff can concentrate on identification verification, positioning, procedure site and any prosthesis or implant necessary