Patient Identification
CLINICAL GUIDELINES
All personnel providing care to pediatric patients must properly identify the child, utilizing two different patient identifiers.
Acceptable forms of identification (ID) include the child’s
Name, as provided by the child/parent/guardian
Hospital ID number
Telephone number
Birth date
Address
Social Security number
Government- or hospital-issued photograph ID
Barcoding on the hospital ID name band
Sources of patient identifiers include parent, guardian, and other family members. A child may not serve as the sole verbal source for patient ID about either himself or herself or a family member.
KidKare Have the parent/guardian confirm the child’s name band information by saying the child’s name and birth date, and ask for agreement from the child.
In cases where children require emergency care and are unable to identify themselves and/or there is an absence of a parent/guardian who can provide identifying information, treatment is administered before identification verification of the child is complete if this emergency care is necessary to stabilize the child.
On all patient lists or identification bands where two or more patients have the same last name, the names in common are displayed in a visually distinctive manner (e.g., color coded, bold, italics) to assist in reducing the incidence of unintentionally selecting the wrong patient.
On admission:
All pediatric patients will have an ID name band affixed to an extremity upon admission.
The parent or guardian of the admitted child receives a corresponding ID name band to affix on the wrist at the time of admission.
For children, who have mental health issues or skin conditions, a picture ID affixed to the head of the bed can be used. Electronic medical records are also being used to maintain patient pictures.
caREminder
The two-identifier requirement begins at the time of admission, whereby the patient identifiers are reliably obtained. The ID name band is attached to the child (e.g., as an armband) and can be used to identify the child and matched to the procedure (medication, blood, sample).
During the child’s stay:
The registered nurse (RN) or licensed practical nurse is responsible for assessing the integrity and placement of the ID name band every shift.
The child and parent/guardian are expected to wear their ID name bands during the entire course of their stay at the institution.
Placing the identification band on the bedside table or taping it to the bed are unacceptable practices, and an identification band not placed on the child cannot be considered reliable for patient identification purposes.
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