Developing updated and new guidance to promote reliable patient identification

Sep 29, 2026

Objectives: update the Patient Identification Safety Assurance Factors for EHR Resilience (SAFER) Guide and evaluate new practices and refinements. A literature review in healthcare patient identification settings focused on publications after 2016; screening of titles and abstracts by a reviewer team and use of retained full texts informed the revision. Results: strengthen guidance for displaying patient photographs and using electronic identification, including barcoding and radiofrequency identification on wristbands, and biometric verification at registration and point of care. The update removes limiting concurrently open patient records in the electronic health record, and adds recommendations supporting accurate identification across registration, order placement, and point of care.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

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Case Report Developing updated and new guidance to promote reliable patient identification Emma Weatherford , MSc 1, Anne Grauer, MD, MS2,3, Carina Sirochinsky, BA1, I-Fong Lehman, DrPH, MS3, Neha Thummala, MPH3, Miriam Callahan, MD3,4, Dean F. Sittig , PhD5, Hardeep Singh , MD, MPH6, Hojjat Salmasian, MD, PhD7,8, Madison Jurgens, MLIS9, Jason S. Adelman , MD, MS2,3, 10, 􀀃 1Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, United States, 2 Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, United States, 3Center for Patient Safety Science, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, United States, 4 Department of Surgery, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, United States, 5 Department of Clinical and Health Informatics, McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX 77030, United States, 6Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, United States, 7 Division of General Internal Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States, 8 Department of Quality and Safety, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, United States, 9Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, United States, 10 Department of Quality and Patient Safety, NewYork-Presbyterian, New York, NY 10032, United States 􀀃 Corresponding author: Jason S. Adelman, MD, MS, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, 630 West 168th Street, Room 463, New York, NY 10032, United States ([jsa2163@cumc.columbia.edu](jsa2163@cumc.columbia.edu)) Abstract Objectives: To describe the process of updating the Patient Identification Safety Assurance Factors for EHR Resilience (SAFER) Guide and to review new practices and refinements to the Guide. Materials and Methods: We conducted a review of literature on the topic of patient identification in healthcare settings, focusing on papers published after 2016. Titles and abstracts were screened by a team of reviewers, and the full text of retained articles was used to inform therevision. Results: The updated SAFER Guide strengthens recommendations for displaying patient photographs and using electronic patient identification, including barcoding and radiofrequency identification on patient wristbands. The Guide also recommends the use of biometric identification at registration and point of care. Finally, the updated Guide removes a recommendation to restrict the number of concurrently open patient records permitted in the electronic health record. Discussion: The revised SAFER Guide includes new recommendations aimed at supporting accurate patient identification at registration, order placement, and the point of care. Conclusion: The updated Patient Identification SAFER Guide provides evidence-based national recommendations to help reduce patient misidentification. Lay Summary Errors in patient identification—such as giving 1 patient a medication meant for another or putting information into the wrong person’s chart—are an ongoing problem in medical settings. The Patient Identification Safety Assurance Factors for EHR Resilience (SAFER) Guide provides recommendations for using technology to reduce the risk of wrong-patient errors. The Patient Identification SAFER Guide was updated in 2024 to include recent studies about the best ways to prevent wrong-patient errors. This paper discusses how the literature was reviewed to identify these studies. The paper also presents 3 new practices added to the Guide: displaying patients’ photos in their electronic charts, using biometrics (such as fingerprints) to verify identity, and using barcoding or radiofrequency identification to confirm identity before providing care. The paper also explains why 1 practice reco

FAQs

What is the main purpose of updating the SAFER Guide?

The update describes the process of revising the Patient Identification SAFER Guide and reviews new practices and refinements to strengthen reliable patient identification in EHRs.

Which technologies does the updated Guide recommend for patient identification?

It recommends displaying patient photographs and using electronic patient identification, including barcoding and radiofrequency identification on patient wristbands, as well as biometric identification at registration and point of care.

What change did the updated Guide make regarding concurrently open patient records?

It removes the prior recommendation to restrict the number of concurrently open patient records permitted in the electronic health record.

Sep 29, 2026

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