In order to avoid duplicate electronic health records, what is a recommended practice?

Utilizing multiple identifiers for verification is a recommended practice to avoid duplicate electronic health records. This approach allows healthcare providers to cross-check and confirm a patient’s identity using various data points, such as a combination of name, date of birth, and social security number or other unique identifiers. By employing multiple identifiers, the likelihood of mistakenly creating duplicates decreases significantly, as this method provides a more comprehensive picture of the patient's identity and history.

In contrast, relying solely on legal names might not be sufficient due to variations in name spellings or common names shared by many individuals. Selecting a random identifier does not provide a reliable method for accurately identifying patients, which may lead to errors in record management. Inputting patient records without checking existing data completely undermines the system designed to prevent duplicates and can result in significant administrative issues and negatively impact patient care.