title: Patient misidentification in a pediatric emergency department: patient safety and legal perspectives.
abstract: Emergency departments across the nation are faced with ever-increasing high volumes, overcrowding, and patient acuity. Along with these growing trends, the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations is instituting new patient safety initiatives to reduce patient medical errors in the hospital setting. The emergency department is one area under great scrutiny with patient identification as primary concern. This article discusses a case study involving patient misidentification in the pediatric emergency department and reviews the legal and safety programs implemented at a children's hospital to improve patient safety outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Emergency Services, Wilmington, DE 19899, USA. koneill@nemours.org
authors.forename: Kathleen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: O'Neill
authors.forename: Deidre
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shinn
authors.forename: Kristopher T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Starr
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kelley
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003144:Communication Barriers; D003681:Dehydration / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000451:nursing / Q000628:therapy; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D005440:Fluid Therapy / Q000451:nursing; D005568:Forms and Records Control; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007802:Language; D016365:Liability, Legal; D008485:Medical Audit; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control; D008499:Medical Records / Q000592:standards; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000517:prevention & control; D009275:Names; D010355:Patient Identification Systems / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D012449:Safety; D014218:Triage