The Joint Commission released the 2016 Ambulatory Care National Patient Safety Goals.
The goals focus on several aspects of patient safety. Here are the 10 goals:
1. Employ two or more ways to identify patients correctly, such as the patient's name and birth date.
2. If the patient needs a blood transfusion, double check they receive the right blood type.
3. Label all medicines before the procedure, including those in syringes and cups.
4. Pay extra attention to patients with blood thinning medications.
5. Record and communicate information about patient medications, and educate the patients about how to appropriately take new medications when they return home.
6. Employ the CDC's or World Health Organization's hand cleaning guidelines and set goals for improvement.
7. Implement proven infection prevention guidelines after surgery.
8. Develop a method to ensure the right surgery is done on the right patient at the correct surgical site.
9. Mark the surgical site on the patient's body.
10. Take a pause before surgery to avoid mistakes.