Patient safety when performing a capillary blood collection includes positive patient identification prior to performing the procedure. The accepted policy in most health care facilities is to use two forms of identification, including a unique patient number such as a hospital or medical record number. The patient (or the parent/guardian if the patient is a small child) will be asked to spell their name and state their date of birth.
The phlebotomist should LOOK at the patient's paperwork and test labels while they LISTEN to the patient's response. For inpatients, the patient identification bracelet, which must be attached to the patient's wrist or ankle, should be used to verify patient identity. A hospital number recorded on the bracelet may be used as a second identifier in the case of an inpatient.
Outpatients without patient identification bracelets will need to state and spell their name and birthdate as well as provide photo identification. This information can be compared to the paperwork and labels for the test order.
Paying close attention to these details and correcting any discrepancies discovered will greatly reduce the risk of misidentifying a patient.
Always follow the policy of your facility and the latest CLSI standards for identification, and never shortcut the patient identification procedure.
