SAFER Guide: Patient Identification Self-Assessment Detailed Report

This document provides an overview of the SAFER (Safety Assurance Factors for EHR Resilience) Patient Identification Self-Assessment Guide, designed to help healthcare organizations evaluate and optimize the safety and safe use of electronic health records (EHRs) related to patient identification. It highlights the importance of accurate patient identification in ensuring that information within the EHR is associated with the correct individual, emphasizing that technology configurations alone are insufficient and must be supported by staff training and reliable procedures. The guide focuses on processes such as creating new patient records, patient registration, and information retrieval, aiming to prevent errors like duplicate records and patient mix-ups. It includes checklists and practice worksheets to assess current implementation status, recommended practices for safe health IT use, and strategies for monitoring safety, emphasizing the need for a multi-disciplinary team approach and clinician leadership to prioritize and address EHR-related safety concerns. The document also clarifies that the SAFER Guides are not intended for legal compliance purposes but rather as informational tools to improve overall healthcare system safety.