In Britain about 10% of inpatient episodes result in errors, of which about half are preventable, according to research from the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA). A lack of bedside checks, a high rate of missing wristbands and a tendency for staff not to ask patients their name before they receive blood all contribute to misidentification, and can result in the wrong treatment.

Mix-ups in patient identity happen all too often, leading Birmingham Heartlands hospital to install a state-of-the-art patient tracking system on one of its wards.

Read the full article from The Guardian here