National Patient Safety Goals Effective January 1, 2013

Goal 1 is to improve the accuracy of patient identification. Use at least two patient identifiers when providing care, treatment and services.

1.       Wrong-patient errors occur in virtually all stages of diagnosis and treatment.

2.       The intent for this goal is two-fold: first, to reliably identify the individual as the person for whom the service or treatment is intended; second, to match the service or treatment to that individual. Acceptable identifiers may be the individual’s name, an assigned identification number, telephone number, or other person-specific identifier.

3.       Use at least two patient identifiers when administering medications, blood, or blood components; when collecting blood samples and other specimens for clinical testing; and when providing treatments or procedures. The patient's room number or physical location is not used as an identifier.

4.       Before initiating a blood or blood component transfusion:

a.       Match the blood or blood component to the order.

b.       Match the patient to the blood or blood component.

c.        Use a two-person verification process or a one-person verification process accompanied by automated identification technology, such as bar coding.

d.      When using a two-person verification process, one individual conducting the identification verification is the qualified transfusionist who will administer the blood or blood component to the patient.

e.      When using a two-person verification process, the second individual conducting the identification verification is qualified to participate in the process, as determined by the hospital.