How will healthcare identifiers improve healthcare communication?
Healthcare identifiers will improve safety, security and efficiency by making sure a person’s information is linked to the correct record and communicated to the right provider. On a practical level, use of the IHI is similar to using a person’s name and date of birth to reference information. A number is however a much more reliable way of referencing information, particularly in electronic information management systems. Minor errors in spelling of names or recording a date of birth can lead to information being misfiled. The IHI includes a checksum digit to eliminate transcription errors. There are four key areas where immediate benefits will be derived through using healthcare identifiers to support electronic exchange of clinical information: Discharge summaries – When a patient leaves hospital, and information about ongoing care is communicated to their healthcare provider/s, the provider will be able to more accurately match the information to the correct patient. Pathology Test
