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JCAHO National Patient Safety Goals
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In creating our patient safety policies and practices, Saint Raphael's
also looks at studies and practices at other healthcare institutions.
We have adopted JCAHO's National Patient Safety Goals, which highlight
problematic areas in health care and describe evidence and expert-based
solutions to these problems. The 2006 goals are:
- Improve the accuracy of patient identification
- Improve the effectiveness of communication among caregivers.
Implement a standardized approach to "hand off" communications, used
when patients are transferred from one unit/area to another. "Hand-off"
information includes each patient's history, vital signs, pertinent test
results, diagnosis and response to treatment.
- Improve the safety of using medications
- Reduce the risk of health care-associated infections. Infection control programs
must focus on reducing infectious disease acquisition and transmission across the hospital
community of patients, staff, and visitors. JCAHO may look at several examples of how
infection control standards are incorporated, including antibiotic usage; precautions
(safety measures for patients with drug-resistant infections); hand hygiene; cleaning of the
facility; and sterilization of instruments and equipment.
- Medication reconciliation: Accurately and completely compiling a list of each
patient's medications to be used during care in one facility and communicated to the
next patient care provider if patient is transferred. This goal, implemented in January
2006, entails comparing the patient's current list of medications from home against the
physician's admission, transfer and/or discharge orders.
- Reduce the risk of patient harm resulting from falls.
 Return to Patient Safety
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