Healthcare workers ordered to double check patient identity
Healthcare workers have been ordered to double-check patients' identity when offering services, a circular that was published online by lawyer Jason Azzopardi shows.The order seems to be a response to the recent allegations of identity fraud.The circ
Healthcare workers have been ordered to double-check patients' identity when offering services, a circular that was published online by lawyer Jason Azzopardi shows.
The order seems to be a response to the recent allegations of identity fraud.
The circular was shared on Facebook by lawyer Jason Azzopardi, who said that these were circulated to health workers by the Health Ministry, and details guidelines for confirming patients' personal details.
Azzopardi had said last month that Maltese ID card holders had their identities stolen and that several ID numbers were allegedly assigned to other people through alleged corruption at Identita. This resulted in allegations that people were using identity documents with ID numbers belonging to others for medical related appointments, with people discovering that their medical files had appointments for tests and surgeries they did not need, among other things.
Azzopardi said that the circular he was publishing on social media was issued by the Health ministry. It reads that it was sent by Permanent Secretary Joseph Chetcuti to healthcare institutions and staff under the government health services, which included "instructions for proper patient identification."
The document instructs workers to ask for patients' ID number, full name, and date of birth. Demographic data, such as address, mobile number and telephone number should also be checked, it said, and patients should also be asked to present their ID card, residence permit, passport or driving licence.
Staff were also instructed to make all necessary checks to avoid conflicting medical records, despite not specifying that the new orders were issued to deal with the Identita scandal. The document also instructs healthcare workers to cross-verify health records.
"Before accessing or updating any health records confirm that the identifiers in the patient's health records match the details provided by the patients or their authorised representative. This applies to every point of contact, including, but not limited to registration, consultation, test ordering, diagnostics and treatment," the document said.
It also read that "when confirming identity, engage the patient by asking them to state, not just confirm, their information (for example: 'Can you please tell me your date of birth?', instead of: 'Is your date of birth [x]'?). This practice reduces the risk of errors due to miscommunication or assumptions."
"If, at any point during the process the system flags discrepancies the information must be verified again and any discrepancies must be documented and "escalated immediately to the Medical Records Department," the document instructed.
"Compliance with these guidelines is mandatory. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in disciplinary action," it said, adding that any incidents of incorrect patient identification must be reported.
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