2. Identification of the correct patient.
Once an imaging examination is deemed justified,
it is important to correctly identify patients in advance of the examination.
There should be at least three identifiers confirmed to accurately identify the
patient, typically- the name of the patient, date of birth, and assigned
identification number (medical record number). It is the primary responsibility
of the radiographer/ radiologic technologist to match the radiology referral to
the patient identifiers, thus confirming the patient’s identity before
performing the x-ray procedure. In some instances, the patient may have a wrist
band or some other physically attached identification. Neither of these
identifiers should be the room number or physical location of the patient. It
is essential that the radiographer/ radiologic technologist verbally confirm
the patient’s identity (e.g. name, date of birth, assigned identification
number) when possible and directly with the patient before performing the
radiographic exam. In the event that the patient is non-verbal, radiographers should take due care to check the
required identifiers using the patient’s wrist band or similar identifier.