Who is my "UNK-" patient?

Question: What is signalled when a patient's last name starts with "UNK-" characters, and what should a prescriber do?

Context: Sometimes patients are admitted before their identity can be reliably confirmed, as might happen with altered states of consciousness. They are assigned a temporary name and record number so that care can proceed. The default last name will start with the letters "UNK-".

Answer: As soon as the patient can be identified, a nursing or clerk team member informs patient registration so that corrections can be made. Health Information Management (HIM) is involved to take care of a potentially complex merge of temporary with permanent health record. 

Prescribers can use the "Chart Correction" link (top right of Hyperspace when a chart is open). This provides access to a chart correction guide and a message for requesting a chart correction.