Providing photo identification to collect a parcel at the post office or withdraw money from a bank has become routine in modern Australian society. Yet there are few health workflows that require people to show photo ID.
With fraud and misidentification posing growing challenges for health providers, are there times when pharmacists should request photo ID?
What are our obligations when identifying patients?
In all pharmacy services, the Professional Practice Standards (2023)1 require that the pharmacist ‘confirms the person’s identity in accordance with legislative, organisational and professional requirements’. This will differ for different services, but is described in multiple health care standards and guidelines as requiring the use of three patient identifiers, generally accepted to include1,2,3:
- full name
- date of birth
- Medical Record Number
(use mostly limited to hospitals) - residential address
- gender
- Individual Healthcare Identifier (IHI).
The PSA Dispensing Practice Guidelines4 (currently under review) not only require use of patient identifiers, but also place an obligation on pharmacists that they ‘should be satisfied that the medicine that is being dispensed is for the person for whom it was intended’. This requires the pharmacist to be confident the prescription has not been inadvertently issued for the wrong patient. Pharmacists must also take reasonable steps to ensure a prescription is legal and valid. Photo identification can help with both of these.
How could photo ID be useful?
Photo ID may assist pharmacists in confirming:
- the person named on the profile exists (i.e. is not fabricated)
- patient identifiers are accurate
and have not been altered/misrepresented - a person is who they say they are.
This may be particularly useful in circumstances where there is a risk of fraud, impersonation, unauthorised third-party requests or diversion of medicines. It can also be an extra safeguard when:
- communication barriers exist
- patients lack other identifying information (e.g. IHI, Medicare number)
- other circumstances where there is a high risk of misidentification.
For example, if a patient is not known to a pharmacy or they do not have a Medicare card, photo ID can be useful
to confirm identity when dispensing Controlled Drugs (Schedule 8).
Are we allowed to ask for photo ID when dispensing medicines?
Yes. There is no legal prohibition which prevents a pharmacist requesting information to support verifying identity. However, recording any of this information is more complex and must be consistent with privacy laws and the provider’s privacy policy.
Should I make presentation of photo ID mandatory for all patients collecting a dispensed medicine?
Probably not. While photo ID can be an additional safeguard, not all patients have ready access to photo ID when seeking care, and other processes to identify individuals are necessary to ensure care is not unfairly withheld or delayed.
References
- Professional Practice Standards 2023, (2023) Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, Deakin, At: https://www.psa.org.au/practice-support-industry/pps/
- National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards, 2021, Australian Commission for Safety and Quality in Healthcare, At: https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/sites/default/files/resources/additional//national_safety_and_quality_health_service_nsqhs_standards_second_edition_-_updated_may_2021.pdf
- AS85000:2024 Australian Community Pharmacy Standard, 2024, Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Barton, ACT.
- Dispensing Practice Guidelines, 2019, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, Deakin, At: https://my.psa.org.au/s/article/Dispensing-Practice-Guidelines
