AS 4846:2014 pdf – Person and provider identification in healthcare.
There could be more than one name recorded for an individual.At least one name shall becaptured and the preferred name should always be sought.
In healthcare the name is used not only as an identifier but also as a major means ofcommunication and trust,and name is also a matter of privacy.For this reason it shall berecognized that people use different names for different purposes. They may have a namethat is their ‘formal’name used on formal or legal documents, but their family and friendsmay refer to them by a very different name.In Australia this is particularly true when manypeoplc from around the world adopt an ‘Australian’name.
Example I : An older gentleman who migrated from Greece in the 1960s has anglicized hisname to George Papa and now rarely uses his original birth name. When George has seriouschest pain at work and goes to the hospital, his collcagues give thc only namc theyknowGeorge Papa. The hospital’s systems need to be able to identify that this is the sameperson as George Papadopoulos.George’s Medicare card (which he did not have on him atthe time) has his full name, George Papadopoulos,and although his hospital documents,enquiry information, bed card,etc.,all say George Papa,the system needs to be able toidentify that George Papadopoulos is the name to be used when reporting to his insurancecompany.
Example 2: A student from China named Xie Li Bei uses the name Leanne Xie. When XieLi Bei has surgery after an injury and is recovering, it is important that the nurses knowboth her‘Australian’name and her Chinese name in order to assess her recovery fromanaesthesia.They may call her “Leanne’, or, if she doesn ‘t respond, “Li Bei’. lt is for thesereasons that any identity system in healthcare is required to be able to identify all the namesused for a person and the circumstances in which they should be applied (usage).
Each component of name content includes an indicator of sequence.This supportsidentification of the correct representation of each name component (e.g. first given name),but also supports ease of searching through generic searching of given names (irrespectiveof the position of that name in the sequence). This is particularly important as many peopleare known by names other than their first given name,or may drop parts of their familyname over time.
4.3 GENERAL GUIDE TO NAMES
It is acknowledged that some people use more than one name (e.g. formal name, birth name,
married/maiden name and tribal name), depending on the circumstances. Each name should
be recorded against the appropriate name type (see Clause 4.6, Name Usage Data Group)
and linked to appropriate identifiers that use that name. For example, the name assciated
with the individual’s Medicare card or professional registration should be recorded as such.
A person is able to change his or her name by usage in all states and trritories of Australia.
Care should be taken when recording a change of name for a minor. ldeally, the name
recorded for the minor should be known to both parents so that the minor’s records can be
retrieved and continuity of care can be maintained, regardless of which parent accompanies
the minor to the agency or establishment.
A person should be registered using that person’s preferred name, as it is more likely to be
the name in common usage, and is more likely to be used on subsequent visits to the agency
or establishment. It is also the name which relatives and friends are likely to use for making
enquiries, should the individual be admitted to hospital. The person’s preferred name may
or may not be the same name on that person’s Medicare card. The person’s Name Usage
metadata item can be used to distinguish between the different types of names that may be
used by the person. The name used for reporting purposes such as Medicare Card name or
the name used in the Australian Individual Healthcare Identification system should also be
registered in the healtheare system.