Two Patient Identifiers

In its report on patient safety, The Joint Commission (2016) mandates that a minimum of two patient identifiers should be used when caring for patients, including but not limited to the administration of medication, collecting blood samples, performing medical treatments and procedures, etc. Patient names, birthdates, telephone number, assigned identification numbers, or other person-specific identifiers can be used to identify individuals for who care or treatment is to be provided. The rationale behind this policy is twofold: it identifies the person who the procedure or treatment is intended, and it matches the procedure, treatment, and/or service to a specific individual (The Joint Commission, 2016). Per The Joint Commission (2016), outcomes for the use of two patient identifiers will result in less patient errors during the course of diagnosis and treatment.

As a radiographer in a large trauma center, I performed radiography exams on a large number of individuals. A large three story clinic was affiliated with the hospital. All radiography staff from the hospital rotated to the clinic once a month to help lighten the high workload of the clinic staff. At the hospital, all patients were required to wear wristbands with two patient identifiers. Unlike the hospital, the clinic did not require the use of patient wrist bands. Long story short, I ended up x-raying the wrong