Individual ID and Health Records
Throughout healthcare delivery, it is essential to know beyond doubt just who the patient is. Failure to do so encumbers the provision of healthcare at the very least; at the worst, it can prove fatal. Such mistakes do happen - all too often.
No aspect of healthcare seems immune, with errors occurring in primary, secondary, and tertiary care, and in many disciplines. While patient identification errors have sparked safety initiatives worldwide, these typically focus on large healthcare institutions and are not suitable for the field (primary care). Fundamental to this challenge therefore, is accurate patient identification at the first point in the system - the primary care facility: the most critical, most common and most difficult task. This challenge is further complicated:
- Where most people's names are not unique, including smaller settings such as tribes, and rural and remote communities in developing countries
- Identifying information may not be accurate
- Records may be abused by third parties for reasons other than healthcare
- Illiteracy may prevent individuals from accurately reporting identity.
The technology solution, therefore, must include the ability to:
- Initially verify an individual's identity
- Implement an electronic health records system
- Safeguard against potential abuse
- Store and retrieve data from remote, primary care centers
- Work with different systems, for different populations.
Ready to help us meet this challenge? For a complete challenge description, click here. In order to participate, you will have to request access to our online collaborative platform. There, you can see what ideas are already in the works, and share your own.