Question

Infant identification-

You must collect blood gases on Baby Jane who is a 3 month old infant. She is fussy & you do not know the person with Baby Jane. What are the ways to verify Baby Jane's identity? List all.

Answer 1

To verify Baby Jane's identity, healthcare professionals should check the identification band on the baby, verify details with the hospital's records system, confirm with the accompanying person, match identification with the mother's bracelet, use electronic tracking systems, and possibly refer to biometrics like footprints or photographs.

Step-by-step explanation:

To verify Baby Jane's identity as a 3-month-old infant in a medical setting, especially before collecting blood gases, healthcare professionals should adhere to established hospital protocols which often include several of the following methods:

• Checking the infant's wristband or ankle band which should contain identifying information such as the baby's name, date of birth, and a unique hospital identifier or barcode.
• Verifying with the healthcare or medical records system to match the unique identifier against their database.
• Confirming identity with the person accompanying the infant if possible, ensuring to check their visitor badge or identification against the patient's information.
• Asking for the mother’s identifying bracelet that should match the baby's band, in case the mother is present.
• If the hospital uses electronic tracking, using the system to confirm the baby’s location and identifying details.
• In some hospitals, biometrics such as a footprint or photographs taken at birth may be used for identification.

These methods help ensure patient safety and correct identification in medical procedures.