Patient safety is an ongoing mission. The Joint Commission has named four national patient safety goals for ambulatory care in 2016.
1. Identify patients correctly
• NPSG.01.01.01: Use at least two ways to identify patients.
• NPSG.01.03.01: Ensure the correct patient receives the correct blood during a blood transfusion.
2. Use medications safely
• NPSG.03.04.01: Prior to a procedure, label all unlabeled medications.
• NPSG.03.05.01: Take extra precautions with patients who are on blood thinners.
• NPSG.03.06.01: Record and pass along correct information on patient medications.
3. Prevent infection
• NPSG.07.01.01: Use CDC and World Health Organization hand cleaning guidelines.
• NPSG.07.05.01: Use proven guidelines to prevent postoperative infection.
4. Prevent mistakes in surgery
• UP.01.01.01: Ensure the correct surgery is done on the correct patient on the correct site.
• UP.01.02.01: Mark the correct side of surgery on the patient's body.
• UP.01.03.01: Pause prior to surgery to make sure no mistake is being made.