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Joint Commission Patient Safety Goals

All Joint Commission accredited health care organizations are required to implement the National Patient Safety Goals. The purpose of the 2018 National Patient Safety Goals is to improve patient safety.

Patient Identification

  • Use the patient name & date of birth when providing care, treatment or services.
  • Make sure that the correct patient gets the correct blood type when they are transfused.

Communication Among Caregivers

  • Timely reporting and receipt of critical test results.

Medication Safety

  • Label all medications and solutions that are not already labeled. For example, medicines in syringes, cups, basins.
  • Take extra care with patient who take medicines to thin their blood.

Use Alarms Safely

  • Make improvements to ensure that alarms in medical equipment are heard and responded to on time.

Prevent Infections

  • Comply with CDC hand hygiene guidelines.
  • Use proven guidelines to prevent infections that are difficult to treat.
  • Use proven guidelines to prevent infection of the blood from central lines.
  • Use safe practices to treat the part of the body where surgery was done.
  • Use proven guidelines to prevent infections of the urinary tract that are caused by catheters.

Identify Patient Safety Risks

  • Find out which patients are most likely to try to commit suicide.

Prevent Mistakes in Surgery

  • Make sure that the correct surgery is done on the correct patient and at the correct place on the patient's body.
  • Mark the correct place on the patient's body where the surgery is to be done.
  • Pause before surgery to make sure that a mistake is not being made.

Check Patient Medications

  • Find out what medicines each patient is taking. Make sure that it is OK for the patient to take any new medicines with their current medicines
  • Give a list of the patient’s medicines to their next provider or care giver
  • Give a list with an explanation of the patient’s medicines to the patient and their family before they go home.
  • Some patients may get medicine in small amounts or for a short time. Make sure it is OK for those patients to take those medications with their current medicines

Joint Commission's Patient Safety Goals: For more information about the program or the Joint Commission, visit www.jointcommission.org.

Atlantic General Hospital has implemented, or is in the process of implementing, these goals and recommendations.

Atlantic General Hospital and the Atlantic General Hospital Laboratory are both accredited by the Joint Commission