Tallaght University Hospital (TUH) have launched an innovative animated short film to help with patient care. Called ‘Expect to be Checked,’ the production is the outcome of what they consider to be the first Positive Patient IDentification (PPID) committee nationally.

The powerful short animation is designed to engage both patients and healthcare staff, reinforcing the importance of accurate patient identification as a key pillar of safe, high-quality care.

Launched in recent weeks, the 2-minute 17-second animation film highlights the importance of positive patient identification. Each time a healthcare worker has an intervention with a patient, their identity is checked. This is an essential step in the delivery of safe patient care. It is making sure that the right patient receives the right medication, right procedure and right communication every time.

Professor Catherine Wall, TUH Director of Quality, Safety and Risk Management, explained that “our patients are asked multiple times a day to confirm their name and date of birth. I appreciate it can be tiresome but it is an essential part in caring for our patients and part of a strong safety culture. This short animation is a great reminder to patients, their families and our staff why we do it.”

The project is the outcome of a Quality Improvement Initiative involving different stakeholders from across the hospital, including the Arts and Health Officer Ali Baker Kerrigan and Illustrator Caroline Hyland. It shows a typical patient journey, and at the same time highlights the importance of PPID and the different points at which this will be checked by staff.

Sinead Palmer, TUH Senior Clinical Audit Manager, added that “listening to the voice of the patient was an important part of putting this campaign together. I knew we had succeeded in producing an accessible education piece when in a recent feedback session a patient told us that they now understood why they were being asked repeatedly for their name – it was for their own safety. They explained that it made them feel more confident and it was reassuring to know that their safety was a priority.”

The project was produced with the support of the Meath Foundation, with voiceover audio by a TUH patient.