What Are the National Patient Safety Goals? FAQ
While hospital care had become increasingly safer for patients between 2010 and 2019 (prior to COVID-19), there were some alarming safety concerns in post-acute care facilities. For example, roughly 40% of nursing homes were cited for infection prevention and control deficiencies between 2013 and 2019. Thankfully, there are national standards. So, what are the national patient safety goals for healthcare facilities and how are they applied?
Accidents happen even in the best-run facilities. Ideally, organizations work to continually improve their processes with the goal of minimizing instances of infections, medication errors, patient misidentifications, and other mistakes that endanger patient safety. We’ll explore the National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG), how they’re applied, and discuss some best practices.
What Are the National Patient Safety Goals? An Overview
The potential for errors in healthcare is high. Add the unsustainably high turnover rate among nurses, and the strain on our healthcare systems further increases the likelihood of errors. As organizations struggle with staffing levels and nurse retention, providing the best patient care possible becomes harder to manage and can compromise patient safety as well. The National Patient Safety Goals were developed by the Joint Commission to ensure that accredited healthcare institutions are providing patients with the best care possible.
The Joint Commission patient safety goals were developed across facility types in order to help organizations re-center patient safety in their care, and avoid preventable harm. These are tailored to each specific type of facility, although there is some overlap and hospital national patient safety goals differ slightly from those outlined for post-acute settings. The nine facility types, or “programs,” include:
- Ambulatory healthcare
- Assisted living community
- Behavioral healthcare and human services
- Critical access hospital
- Home care
- Hospital
- Laboratory
- Nursing care center
- Office-based surgery
Frequently Asked Questions
Now that you’ve gotten an overview of the NPSG, here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about these standards. Keep in mind that the Joint Commission sets new goals for each type of facility every year, so it’s important to visit the designated program links above if you want more detailed information.
What Are the National Patient Safety Goals Based On?
The Patient Safety Advisory Group is tasked with identifying patient safety issues, suggesting methods for managing and mitigating these risks, and (if necessary) updating the safety goals on an annual basis. The Advisory Group consists of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, risk managers, and other healthcare professionals. Additional input and expertise comes from consumers, subject matter experts, and government agencies (such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services).
The Joint Commission identifies emerging patient safety issues that could be abated through modifications at healthcare facilities. With the help of focus groups, experts, and other stakeholders, the Joint Commission prepares a draft of proposed standards, which are then submitted to the broader healthcare community for input through the Standard Field Review process.
From there, the proposed standards are revised, refined, and updated as needed (pending approval by executive leadership). Surveyors, who review facilities for accreditation purposes, are briefed about how to assess compliance with the new standards. Finally, the new standards are published for use in the field, although ongoing feedback is welcomed for the purpose of making any necessary adjustments.
What Are the National Patient Safety Goals Used For?
These safety goals directly impact the practice of all healthcare professionals and are used to accredit healthcare organizations (every three years for most facilities), with a focus on processes and organizational functions most associated with patient safety and improving patient outcomes. Failure to renew this accreditation can result in the inability to seek reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid, and often is a precursor to a facility’s closure.
Surveys are typically unannounced. The accreditation process consists of three main components:
- Monitoring care delivered to patients, residents, etc.
- Reviewing documentation provided by the facility
- Observing and interviewing staff (and sometimes patients)
The survey results are scored against specific performance standards, called “elements of performance,” and an initial summary is provided at the conclusion of the survey. A final accreditation determination is made later, which can involve any one of the following outcomes:
- Accreditation
- Limited Temporary Accreditation
- Accreditation with Follow-up Survey
- Preliminary Denial of Accreditation
- Denial of Accreditation
Members of the public can check a healthcare facility’s accreditation status online. You can also search by city, state, zip code, or type of facility for a list of accredited facilities.
What Are the 7 National Patient Safety Goals?
According to the NPSG, nursing professionals and healthcare providers should be aware of seven main problem areas that can potentially lead to patient injury. The Advisory Group offers the following suggestions for addressing these general problem areas (see the chapter corresponding to your facility type for specifics).
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| 1. Identify patients correctly | Use the patient’s name and date of birth when verifying their identity. |
| 2. Improve staff communications | Get important medical information, such as test results, to the right person in a timely manner. |
| 3. Use medicines safely | Always label medications and ask patients for up-to-date medication info with each visit. Report all adverse or unusual side-effects. |
| 4. Use alarms safely | Be sure medical equipment alarms are properly functioning and responded to promptly. |
| 5. Prevent infection | Proper and thorough hand-cleaning is essential. |
| 6. Identify patient safety risks | Implement safety measures to protect patients, such as interventions to prevent patient suicide. |
| 7. Prevent mistakes in surgery | Ensure the correct procedure is done on the correct patient on the correct part of the patient’s body. |
How Can Nurses Contribute to National Patient Safety Goals? Examples and Tips
Every healthcare provider plays a role in helping facilities meet the NPSG. While we outlined some more general tips above, you may be seeking specific ways to involve your nursing staff in these efforts. To give you some ideas, here are two NPSG Nursing Examples:
Example 1: Infection Prevention
Nursing professionals can help reduce the risk of infection by following standard precautions whenever they interact with patients. This includes, but is not limited to, using aseptic technique when administering medications, applying personal protective equipment (PPE), and following respiratory hygiene practices (e.g., cough etiquette).
Example 2: Staff Communication
Nurses interact with dozens of different healthcare professionals, patients, and visitors each day. To facilitate communication and reduce the risk of errors, nurses can use standardized hand-off reports, conduct regular safety huddles, or participate in shared governance.
Is Your Facility Optimized to Support Patient Safety?
Now that you can answer the question, What are the National Patient Safety Goals? you’re likely looking for additional ways to put patient health and safety first. Discover useful tips and insights on how to maintain a high quality healthcare facility through IntelyCare’s free newsletter.
IntelyCare education development nurse and writer Diana Campion, MSN, APRN, ANP-C, contributed to the writing and research for this article.