Which two strategies are commonly used to confirm patient identity before medication administration?

• A. Verify with the patient’s room number
• B. Use two identifiers and verify against MAR/chart
• C. Confirm by asking the patient’s name
• D. Check the last admission note and room number

Answer: (B)

The essential idea is preventing medication errors by confirming the patient’s identity with two unique identifiers and cross-checking them against the medication administration record or chart. Two identifiers are pieces of information that uniquely identify the patient, such as full name and date of birth, or name and medical record number. Verifying these against the MAR/chart ensures the medication order belongs to the correct patient and matches the intended drug, dose, and route.

Relying on the room number alone is not reliable because room assignments can change and multiple patients may share a room. Asking only for the patient’s name can lead to mix-ups with similar names or misspellings, and checking only a last admission note and room number does not confirm the patient currently in the bed. Therefore, using two identifiers and verifying them against the MAR/chart is the safest and most reliable practice before giving any medication.