Source: Radio New Zealand
Health NZ said there was the potential for identity overlay. RNZ / Peter de Graaf
A patient advocate is warning that the consequences of people receiving incorrect medical treatment due to mistaken identity can be catastrophic.
Health New Zealand has acknowledged people may have received incorrect medical treatment due to two people being mistakenly linked to one active National Health Index Number.
An NHI number is an alphanumeric identifier assigned to people who use health and disability services.
Health New Zealand told RNZ that although NHI numbers were unique, there was the potential for identity overlay, where two people were mistakenly linked to one active number.
”This can occur where two people’s personal information is nearly identical, and the health provider selects the wrong person. These cases are identified and corrected quickly by Health NZ’s NHI Data Quality team through daily reporting on potential duplicates and overlays,” it said.
”Health NZ acknowledges it is possible that people have received incorrect treatment when a health provider has selected the wrong person.
“However, Health NZ does not hold any centralised information on such cases, and any information, if it exists, would be held only in individual clinical records at district or provider level.”
Patient Voice Aotearoa chairperson Malcolm Mulholland.
Patient Voice Aotearoa chairperson Malcolm Mulholland said that’s not good enough.
”It’s not good and it’s something that shouldn’t be happening and Health New Zealand should be able to articulate the size of the problem.”
“The mere fact that they are unable to do so indicates to me that there are some problems and, without having them resolved, the consequences can be quite dire for patients,” he said.
“One of my areas of concern would be around medication. So a lot of certain medications are listed to be given to a patient and the medication is given to the wrong patient due to this problem. That to me would be ringing alarm bells and could lead to some catastrophic health outcomes.”
Health New Zealand was approached for additional comment.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
