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Identifying the 'right patient' : nurse and patient perspectives on how to verify patient identity during medication administration

journal contribution
posted on 2008-01-01, 00:00 authored by T Kelly, Cadeyrn GaskinCadeyrn Gaskin, C Roper, S Elsom
In this paper, we report on a research project funded by the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses’ and Bristol Myers Squibb Research Grant in 2007. We examined ways in which Mental Health Nurses could correctly identify patients during medication administration that promote medication safety and that are acceptable to both consumers and nurses. Central to the safe practice of medication administration are the “five rights” – giving the right drug, in the right dose, to the right patient, via the right route, at the right time. In non-psychiatric settings, such as medical and surgical inpatient units, the use of identification aids, such as wristbands, are common. In most Victorian psychiatric inpatient units, however, standardised identification aids are not used. Anecdotally, consumers dislike some methods of patient identification, such as wearing wrist bands, and some nurses perceive consumers’ rights are infringed through wearing personal identifiers. In focus groups, mental health consumers and Mental Health Nurses were invited to discuss their experiences of patient identification during routine psychiatric inpatient medication administration. They were also asked their opinions of, and preferences for, different ways of verifying “right patient” during routine medication administration. In our paper, we will present the findings of a qualitative research project in which we explored the experiences, opinions, and preferences of mental health consumers and Mental Health Nurses towards methods of correctly identifying patients during medication administration.

History

Journal

International journal of mental health addiction

Volume

17

Issue

1

Season

special issue

Publisher

Blackwell Publishing

Location

Carlton, Vic.

ISSN

1557-1874

eISSN

1557-1882

Language

eng

Publication classification

C2.1 Other contribution to refereed journal

Copyright notice

2008, The Authors ; Australian College of Mental Health Nurses

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