Mark Andrew Castelo Gaerlan Elective 2

BSN IV Paper #6
SUMMA!"
This study demonstrated that more than half of the patients in a single neonatal intensive
care unit are at risk for misidentification errors due to similarities in patient names or medical
record numbers. During the 1-year study period, patient care was provided to 126 and not a
single day was free of risk. The mean number of patients who were at risk for misidentification
was 1! "range# $-%$&, representing 'ust over $( of the average daily census. The most common
causes of misidentification risk were similar-appearing )edical *ecord +umbers ")*+s&
constituting to ,,( of patient days, identical surnames "%,(&, and similar-sounding names
"-.!( of days&.
EAC#I$N"
.atient safety is a priority aimed at preventing medical errors before they cause death,
harm, or in'ury. The uni/ue aspects and the comple0ity of the neonatal intensive "+123&
environment, in addition to the vulnerability of the neonatal population increase the risk for
medical errors. 4n integral part of the nursing duty is to make sure we are giving appropriate
care to the appropriate patient. +eonates have limited capacity in buffering the unintended
conse/uences of their medical treatment and therefore can be easily harmed. 1n addition,
neonate5s inability to communicate what he6she is e0periencing adds to the risk of suffering from
a severe adverse effect of a drug that has been administered. Their underdeveloped body systems
interfere with drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and e0cretion, making the risk of being
e0posed to to0ic drug levels e0ponential compared to an adult patient.
1t is a must for all healthcare team members to provide optimum level of care to the right patient
and avoid harm. *epeated checking of patient5s name, date of birth, identification band will help
prevent misidentification errors.
*787*7+27#
Patient Misidenti%ication in t&e Neonatal Intensive Care Unit" '(anti%ication o% isk)
*a+es E, Gra-) M.) 26 by the 4merican 4cademy of .ediatrics