National Patient Safety Goals 2013: 6 Points

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations enforced the National Patient Safety Goals effective from 1st January 2013. The purpose of these goals is to address the problems of health care safety and solve them.

The National Patient Safety Goals aims at enhancing the safety of patients in hospitals and other healthcare organizations.

The National Patient Safety Goals 2013 Training is a program for healthcare employees to make them aware of the goals and how to carry them out.

These are the National Patient Safety Goals for 2013.

• Correct identification of patients

- At least two ways should be used to identify patients. For instance both patient's name and birth date should be used for identification. The purpose of doing this is to make sure that every patient gets the appropriate treatment and medications.

- Also ensure that the right patient receives blood during blood transfusion.

• Improved communication between hospital staff

- The correct test results must be given to the correct patients on time.

• Safe use of medicines

- Medicines that are not labeled but be labeled correctly prior to procedures. This should be done in the area where the supplies and medicines are stored.

- Special care must be taken with patients who use blood thinners as part of their medication.

- All information about the patient's medications must be recorded and shared appropriately.

- After knowing what medicines the patient is taking, compare his old and new medicines and ensure that the patient understands the times and dosages of taking the medicines after he is discharged.

- The patient must understand that they must give an up to date history of their medication every time they visit the doctor.

• Infection Prevention

- The Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization (WHO) has certain guidelines for hand washing. These must be incorporated to enhance the importance of hand cleaning.

- Proved guidelines should be used to prevent infections that are difficult to treat.

- Proved guidelines should be used to prevent blood infections that arise from central lines.

- Proved guidelines must be used to prevent urinary tract infections caused by use of catheters.

- Proved guidelines must be used to prevent post-surgical infections.

• Identification of patient safety risks

- Identify any patient who is likely to try to commit suicide.

• Prevention of surgical errors

- Ensure that the right surgery is done on the right patient on the correct area on the patient's body.

- It is good to mark the surgical area on the body when surgery is to be performed.

- Surgeons should pause before starting the surgery to ensure once again that a mistake is not committed.

The National Patient Safety Goals were established in order to enable accredited healthcare organizations to address the problems and issues with regard to safety of patients. Compliance with these goals is necessary in order to avoid penalties. Hence, training is given about these goals to the healthcare employees so that they will be able to implement these goals in the appropriate manner.

For more information, please visit our National patient Safety Goals website.

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