Publication: Assessment of the current practices and barriers to patient identification in a tertiary care hospital setting in Malaysia: A cross-sectional study
Date
2026
Authors
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Publisher
IMU University
Abstract
Introduction
Accurate patient identification is foundational to patient safety, yet there are many organisational and human obstacles to good patient identification practices. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the levels of awareness, practice, and attitude of healthcare providers (HCPs) with regard to patient identification and to determine the perceived barriers at a tertiary care hospital.
Methods
This quantitative, cross-sectional study implemented a questionnaire to survey 804 HCPs, including doctors, nursing staff, allied health professionals, and clinical support staff at a private hospital in Malaysia. Patient identification practices, including awareness and attitude, were assessed via self-reported 4-point Likert scale ratings and multiple-choice questions. Perceived barriers were examined using descriptive statistics and the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) to classify system-level shortcomings.
Results
Overall, HCPs demonstrated good awareness, positive attitudes, and satisfactory compliance with patient identification practices. However, gaps were identified, particularly in the standardization of patient identifiers. The study found that higher qualifications, longer work experience, and greater job role weightage for patient identification were positively associated with better awareness, attitude, and practice compliance. The top consensus barriers were patients’ physical communication barriers (n=431, 53.7%), language barriers (n=407, 50.6%), and fear of annoying patients (n=379, 47.0%). Moreover, clinical support staff were identified as a vulnerable subgroup with lower self-confidence in their knowledge, suggesting systemic failures in Unsafe Supervision and Preconditions for Unsafe Acts.
Conclusion
Although the HCPs demonstrated generally good awareness, practice, and attitude, systemic limitations remain as a vulnerability. Recommended next steps include implementing non-verbal verification technologies, encouraging patient and carer engagement to reduce social pressure, and providing role-specific, targeted training for clinical support staff. These interventions will strengthen the foundation for accurate patient identification and enhance safety at the organisational level.
Keywords: Patient, Identification, Hospital, Patient Safety, Healthcare, Practices.
Description
Keywords
Patient Identification Systems, Patient Safety, Hospitals, Private, Cross-Sectional Studies, Health Personnel, Attitude of Health Personnel