2008 National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs)

In 2002 the Joint Commission first established National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) to aid accredited organizations target critical areas where safety can be improved, such as medication safety and reducing the risk of healthcare associated infections. Our compliance with National Patient Safety Goals was validated by the Joint Commission in 2006.

• Ambulatory 2008 NPSGs
• Behavioral Health 2008 NPSGs

Ambulatory 2008 NPSGs

• Improve the accuracy of patient identification Use at least two patient identifiers when providing care, treatment or services
• Improve the effectiveness of communication among caregivers
  “Read-back” all verbal or telephone orders and critical test results
  Abbreviate in compliance with “Do Not Use” List
  Timeliness of reporting and receipt of critical test results and values
  Standardized communication at hand-offs
• Improve the safety of using medications
  Standardized and limit the drug concentrations available
  Prevent errors involving the interchange of “Look-alike/Sound-alike” drugs
  Label all medications and solutions
  Prevent errors associated with the use of anticoagulation therapy
• Reduce the risk of health care-associated infections
  Comply with CDC hand hygiene guidelines
  Manage health care-associated infections resulting in major permanent loss of function as sentinel events
• Accurately and completely reconcile medications across the continuum of care
  Ensure complete list of patient’s medications are communicated to all providers of care within or outside the organization
• Reduce the risk of surgical fires
  Educate staff on guidelines oxygen concentration, control of heat sources and management of fuels with enough time for patient preparation
• Encourage patient’s active involvement in their own care as a patient safety strategy
  Encourage and communicate to patients and their families the means to report safety concerns
• The organization fulfills the expectations set forth in the Universal Protocol
  Conduct a pre-operative verification
  Mark the operative site
  Conduct a “time out” immediately before starting the procedure

Behavioral Health 2008 NPSGs

• Improve the accuracy of patient identification
  Use at least two patient identifiers when providing care, treatment or services
• Improve the effectiveness of communication among caregivers
  “Read-back” all verbal or telephone orders and critical test results
  Abbreviate in compliance with “Do Not Use” List
  Timeliness of reporting and receipt of critical test results and values
  Standardized approach to “hand-off” communications
• Improve the safety of using medications
  Prevent errors involving the interchange of “Look-alike/Sound-alike” drugs
• Reduce the risk of health care-associated infections
  Comply with CDC hand hygiene guidelines
  Manage health care-associated infections resulting in major permanent loss of function as sentinel events
• Accurately and completely reconcile medications across the continuum of care
  Establish a process for comparing the patient’s current medications with those ordered for the patient
  Ensure complete list of patient’s medications are communicated to all providers of care within or outside the organization
• Encourage patient’s active involvement in their own care as a patient safety strategy
  Encourage and communicate to patients and their families the means to report safety concerns
• The organization identifies safety risks inherent in its patient population
  Identify patients at risk for suicide