The Joint Commission released the 2020 patient safety goals for ambulatory healthcare.
The safety goals focus on four areas:
1. Identify patients correctly. The Joint Commission recommends using two forms of identification for patients undergoing procedures, including asking for their name and date of birth.
2. Prevent surgical mistakes. Marking the patient's body where the surgery is meant to be done and pausing before the surgery begins can help prevent mistakes.
3. Prevent infections. The Joint Commission recommends using handwashing guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization to prevent infections.
4. Use medication safely. Ambulatory organizations should use extra caution with patients who use blood thinners and should take the time to label medications that don't already have labels. The Joint Commission also recommends recording the medications patients are taking to pass along to other healthcare facilities when the patient leaves.