Authors (including presenting author) :
LAM PK(1), TSOI SH(1), YEUNG CY(2), CHEUNG CK(2), WONG PMB(1), HAU LM(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Quality & Safety Division, NTWC, (2)Department of Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, NTWC
Introduction :
Patient misidentification in diagnostic imaging could lead to potential serious patient harm. Traditionally, patient identification is manually checked before radiology examination via verbal confirmation of patient’s Hong Kong Identity Card (HKID) number or visual checking of HKID number on patient’s wristband or HKID card. Following the advancement in technology, Quality and Safety Division and Radiology Department of NTWC has developed a Patient Identity Verification System (PIVS) for more accurate and effective checking mechanism.
Objectives :
To strengthen correct patient identification from manual checking to system verification in NTWC Computerized Tomography (CT) suites.
Methodology :
The PIVS is composed of a handheld android device with barcode scanning function and a customized software for patient verification. It facilitates the checking of patient identity by scanning the barcodes which contain patient’s HKID number on Generic Clinical Request System (GCRS) form and wristband of inpatient and A&E patient. For outpatient, the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technique was adopted to read the HKID number on patient identity card. If the scanned HKID number and barcodes are matched, the HKID number would be sent to CT console via Bluetooth connection directly to query the selected patient in the worklist. If the HKID numbers are not matched, an alert message would be shown on the handheld device with alert sound and the staff is required to restart the entire patient identification procedure.
Result & Outcome :
The PIVS was piloted in CT suites of Tuen Mun Hospital and Pok Oi Hospital in June 2021. Survey for radiographers who used the system was conducted and positive feedback was received. All of them reported that the instruction of the system is clear and easy to understand. Furthermore, 90% opined the system was simple and easy to use. Around 70% agreed that the new system was effective in identifying correct patient and would recommend the system to their colleagues.
Since the implementation of the PIVS, no patient misidentification incident happened in the CT suites. The newly developed PIVS has proved its effectiveness in enhancing correct patient identification and patient safety. The extension of this system to portable X-ray machines would be explored.
