What is the safest method of identifying a client before any procedure or medication administration?

The Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goals require using at least two patient identifiers before any procedure, medication administration, blood transfusion, specimen collection, or any other patient-specific intervention. Acceptable identifiers: full name (first and last), date of birth, medical record number, government-issued ID. Room number is NEVER acceptable — clients move rooms; mistakes happen with room assignments; and confused clients in shared rooms can lead to errors. Recognition by face is also not acceptable, even for clients you know well — fatigue, similar appearances, and changing client census all create error risk. The wristband is checked, the client is asked (when able) to state their name and date of birth, and these are matched to the medication record or procedure consent. For unconscious or non-verbal clients, identification still uses the wristband against the chart.