Which two methods are important for patient identification prior to medication administration?

The most critical methods for patient identification prior to medication administration focus on ensuring accuracy and safety in delivering care. Requesting the patient's full name and date of birth is an established practice for verifying identity. This process reduces the likelihood of errors related to medication administration, as it confirms the identity of the patient against the administration records and medication orders.

Full name and date of birth are standard identifiers that help to eliminate confusion that may arise due to similar names or patients being in a similar demographic group. In many healthcare facilities, this method is a part of the protocol, as it allows healthcare providers to accurately match patients with their intended treatments.

While asking for the patient's address and phone number may provide some level of identification, it is not as immediate or effective in the context of medication administration. Checking insurance information and ID or verifying symptoms and past medical history are not reliable or straightforward methods for ensuring the correct patient receives the correct medication at the administering time. The focus must be on direct identifiers that can be quickly and efficiently used at the moment of care. Thus, using the patient's full name and date of birth is both a common and best practice in patient safety protocols.