Unique patient identifiers: An overview

Information technology has changed the way medical record information is stored and retrieved. Computer-based Patient Records (CPRs) have the unique potential to improve the care and wellness of both individuals as well as populations. CPRs link the clinical records of an individual from different providers, sites of care and episodes. The computer and communication technologies also enable the aggregation of information from CPRs across organizational boundaries to facilitate population-based research, planning and improvement. In order to facilitate the linkage of various clinical records from different care settings and times as well as to aggregate information across institutional boundaries, healthcare organizations and computer systems we require the use of a valid and reliable patient identification method.