What patient identifier should be included in an incident report?

• A. Room number
• B. Phone number
• C. Name and Date of Birth
• D. Insurance policy number

Answer: (C)

When documenting an incident, use identifiers that clearly link the report to the correct patient while protecting privacy. The most reliable choice is the patient’s name and date of birth, because together they uniquely identify an individual in a clinical setting and help prevent mix-ups if there are patients with similar names. A room number isn’t dependable since rooms can be reassigned or shared, and a phone number isn’t a stable or unique clinical identifier. An insurance policy number is sensitive and not needed for incident reporting, so it isn’t appropriate to include. Using name and date of birth provides precise identification with minimal unnecessary exposure of other information.