All Joint Commission accredited health care organizations are required to implement the National Patient Safety Goals.

The goals and requirements are drawn from a “pool” of recommendations identified as cost-effective and practical ways to prevent medical errors.

The Joint Commission requires that all accredited health care organizations have the following goals implemented:

Patient identification

• Use the patient name & date of birth when providing care, treatment or services.

Communication among caregivers

• Read-back and verify all telephone/verbal orders and critical test results.
• Do not use unacceptable abbreviations.
• Timely reporting, and receipt of critical test results.
• Standardize “hand off” communications.
  

Medication safety

• Standardize and limit drug concentrations.
• Manage look-alike/sound-alike drugs.
• Label all medications and solutions.
• Reduce harm of anticoagulant therapy. 
  

Healthcare-associated infections

• Comply with CDC hand hygiene guidelines.
• Conduct a root cause analysis on any healthcare-associated infection death.
  

Reconcile medications

• Compare current medications with those ordered during care.
• Give a complete list of the patient’s medications to the next provider or service.
  

Patient falls

• Implement a fall reduction program.

Patient involvement

• Notify patients and families how to report safety concerns.

Change in patient condition

• Recognize and respond to changes in patient's condition.

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.