Patient Safety Goals

National Patient Safety Goals in the Hospital Setting

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) put out by The Joint Commission that went into effect January 1, 2014. The goal I chose to focus on is the first goal, improve the accuracy of patient identification. The element of performance within that goal I am going to concentrate on is to use at least two patient identifiers when administering medications (Joint Commission, 2013). The importance of this goal cannot be understated. Correctly identifying a patient prior to administering a medication is imperative to patient safety.

Description

The Joint Commission (2013) NPSG 1 is to improve the accuracy of patient identification by using at least two patient identifiers when providing care, treatment, and services. The rationale behind this NPSG is to stop wrong patient errors that occur in all stages of diagnosis and treatment. We have moved into an era of patient safety and reaching this goal is imperative to promoting and maintaining this era. One of the most basic fundamentals we learn in nursing school is the six rights of medication administration. One of those rights is the right patient. This goal basically is part of something we as nurses should be doing each and every time we administer a medication. According to The Joint Commission (2013) acceptable patient identifiers include the individual’s name, an assigned identification number, telephone number, or other person-specific identifier. The patient’s room number or physical location cannot be used since these can and do change during the course of a patients hospital stay.

Clinical Examples

During my clinical rotation I have seen nurses correctly using adhering to...

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...p when they feel their safety is compromised is imperative. Patients need to have the proper knowledge and understanding why we are asking them each and every time. Incorporating teaching when they are first admitted to the hospital and posting signs in plain view in rooms about the expectations would be a great way to help attain the NPSG 1.

In conclusion, I feel that attaining the NPSG 1 is very important to me in my future practice as a nurse. I strive to be the best at whatever I do and being a safe and efficient nurse is at the top of my list of priorities. I’ve seen examples of how nurses do this wrong and how they do it right, and I plan to model my behaviors after those that do it correct. My goal is to not develop a lackadaisical attitude regarding patient identification and to cultivate a passion for engaging my patients in their care and safety.