Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 3, 2026
Making MR Imaging Child's Play - Pediatric Neuroimaging Protocol, Guidelines and Procedure
Published on: July 30, 2009
[Health care team and parents' opinion about pediatric patients identification]
Nora Dackiewicz1, Laura Viteritti, Valeria Fedrizzi
1Área Calidad, Comité de Seguridad en la atención, Hospital Nacional de Pediatría Prof. Dr. Juan P. Garrahan.
Insights
Patient identification wrist bands are crucial for safety, yet hospital staff and parents show varying agreement on their consistent use. Improving patient identification practices requires further development and implementation.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Quality Improvement
- Patient Safety
- Medical Error Prevention
Context:
- Patient misidentification remains a significant healthcare quality and safety issue globally.
- The Joint Commission International identifies patient identification as a critical life-saving solution.
- Identification wrist bands are a key strategy for accurate patient identification in healthcare settings.
Purpose:
- To assess healthcare workers' and parents' perceptions and agreement regarding the use of patient identification wrist bands.
- To explore the perceived purpose and opportunity for utilizing wrist band identification.
- To gather baseline data on the proper use of identification bands within a pediatric hospital.
Summary:
- A survey of 300 participants (physicians, nurses, parents) revealed that 82% believe wrist bands should remain on throughout hospitalization.
- Between 64% and 74% of participants found wrist bands helpful in preventing medical errors, with no statistical difference between parents and physicians.
- However, only 34% of patients were correctly identified with an identification band, indicating a gap in consistent application.
Impact:
- Findings suggest that consistent and correct use of patient identification wrist bands is not yet a priority behavior among healthcare workers.
- There is a need to develop and implement new initiatives to enhance patient identification safety, involving both families and healthcare professionals.
- Improved patient identification practices are essential for reducing medical errors and enhancing overall patient safety.
Introduction:
Patient misidentification continues to be a quality and safety significant issue. The Joint Commission International listed patient identification as the first of ten life-saving patient-safety solutions. Identification wrist bands are the goal in the identification strategy. At the Hospital Nacional de Pediatría "Prof. Dr. J.P. Garrahan" we inquired about perception and agreement of this practice within hospital staff and parents.
Method:
A short questionnaire was used with; in the first part a four point Lickert scale, and in the second one an open unstructured response. The questionnaire was distributed among health care workers and parent's patients. For families, the third question was not administrated. The survey explored about purpose and opportunity regarding the use of wrist band identification. A one day cutoff was made to obtain baseline data for properly use of identification bands.
Results:
A total of 300 questionnaires were analyzed, 100 for each cluster (physicians, nurses, and parents); 82% responded that the wrist band should stay along the whole hospitalizing period. A range of 64% to 74% within the groups responded that it is helpful to prevent errors. There was no statistical difference between parents and physicians. Overall, percentage of patient with correct identification band in the hospital was 34%.
Conclusions:
We concluded that the wrist band identification is not a health care workers priority behavior yet. Initiatives on safety patient identifications, including families and healthcare workers, must be developed in the near future.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Ethical Standards II
Nurses are entrusted with upholding various ethical principles and standards. Nurses forge solid therapeutic relationships using trust, empathy, autonomy, confidentiality, and professional competence.
Confidentiality is crucial, embodying respect for individual privacy and...
01:18Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-II
Physical Therapist
A physical therapist (PT) aims to restore function or prevent additional impairment in a patient following an injury or disease. Massage, heat, cold, water, sonar waves, exercises, and electrical stimulation are some treatments used by PTs to treat...
01:21Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-I
Physicians
The physician's primary responsibility is to diagnose illness and direct the medical or surgical treatment of the condition. The authority to admit patients to a healthcare agency or institution and practice care within that setting is granted to physicians by the healthcare agency or institution itself.
01:25Ethical Standards I
The Code of Ethics provisions outline the nurse's duty to the patient, the healthcare team, the profession, and society. The Code's fundamental principles include advocacy,...
01:23Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth. This guiding role...
01:13Patient-centered Care