The NHS is looking at technologies that could reduce the number of mistakes being made when matching written records with the right patient.

A recent report from the National Patient Safety Agency (NSPA) showed that a significant number of such errors are occurring in UK hospitals posing serious risks to patients' safety.

Between February 2006 and January 2007, the NPSA received 24,382 reports of patients being mismatched with their care. Human error plays an enormous role in the mistakes that do occur, for example people with the same surname getting mixed up.

The issue is being investigated by the Department of Health, which has released a document showing that using identification and tracking technologies such as biometrics, RFID and barcodes has shown evidence of real improvements to patient safety.

It said when these are in use there were "fewer medication errors, a reduced risk of wrong-site surgery, a more accurate track and trace of surgical instruments, equipment and other devices, and much better record keeping".

Importantly these technologies can easily be used on patient wristbands, which the NPSA estimated were to blame for more than 2,900 of the errors surrounding mismatched care in hospitals.

Biometrics company Digital Persona suggested fingerprints would be among the most foolproof technologies for wristbands.

George Skaff, vice president at Digital Persona, said: "A fingerprint is not something you can lose. It is not open to subjective interpretation and could potentially save lives by ensuring the right patient received the right treatment. It could also help create an accurate electronic log of the patient’s time in the hospital."

The NPSA sounded a more cautious note and warned that it would not get carried away and bring in new technologies to the detriment of older practices.

Chris Ranger, NPSA head of safer patient practice, said: "We welcome anything that helps clinicians do their jobs better and helps keep patients safe. So biometrics and fingerprinting are of great interest to us.

"But there have been tests carried out that show that this technology is not as accurate as it could be and technology in general will never take the place of traditional pen and paper methods."

The Information Commissioner's Office also said that any proposals that required the collection and storage of biometric data such as fingerprints had to be carefully considered before being implemented.

"The accurate identification of patients is essential and we recognise the role that biometrics could have in helping to achieve this. But there must be appropriate and effective data protection safeguards put in place," it told Computeractive.