This program will cover the Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) for Acute and Critical Access Hospitals. It will discuss other resources to help hospitals comply with the National Patient Safety Goals.

The changes to NPSG 15 are important and address the requirement for the hospital to identify safety risks inherent in its patient population and to identify patients at risk for suicide.

Other 2021 changes will be discussed including using distinct methods of identification for newborns under 01.01.01. This goal is to improve the naming conversation of newborns after delivery to prevent medical errors due to conventional, nondistinct naming methods to prevent wrong tests, wrong procedures, and administering the wrong breastmilk to the infant.

NPSG.02.03.01 is a vital goal as it discusses improving the effectiveness of communication among caregivers. Specifically, reporting of critical results of the test and diagnostic procedures in a timely manner.

Medication safety, in particular medications in the surgical and procedural areas, will be covered. Errors, sometimes tragic, have resulted from medication and other solutions removed from their original containers and placed into unlabeled containers.

This program will also cover updates to the Goal addressing anticoagulants, medication reconciliation, the ever-present issue of clinical alarms, prevention of healthcare-associated infections, and “time-outs”.

Hospitals should also be familiar with the final CMS hospital worksheet on infection control, and the proposed changes, along with a memo on safe injection practices and infection control breaches. Success Stories by hospitals on how they complied with the NPSGs will also be discussed.

Wrong-side surgery should never occur but yet, it continues to occur. Not only does it pose a patient safety issue but can cost a facility financial loss and accreditation with the Joint Commission and deficiency report from CMS. This webinar will stress the necessary elements of performance to prevent wrong-side surgery.

Objectives:-

• Recall the changes to NPSG 15 on the prevention of suicide
• Discuss the infection control goals and the importance of adequate hand hygiene money
• Recall that TJC allows a one-person verification process for checking the blood if accompanied by barcoding
• Recall the current five medication reconciliation standards and that CMS is looking at this issue in their revised worksheets.

Outline:-

• Goal 1 Improve the accuracy of patient identification
  • Use of 2 identifiers, labeling blood samples, and newborn identification
  • Elimination of transfusion errors
• Goal 2 Improve the effectiveness of communication among caregivers
  • Getting tests to the right staff person-reporting of critical results of tests timely
• Goal 3 Improve the safety of using medications
  • Labeling of medications
  • Anticoagulants
  • Medication reconciliation
• Goal 6 Alarm Safety
• Goal 7 Reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections
  • Hand hygiene
• Goal 15 Identification inherent suicide risks
  • Preventing patient suicide
• Universal Protocol changes to prevent wrong-site surgery
  • Performing Time Out

Who Will Benefit?

This program is designed for anyone involved in implementing and following the Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals including Joint Commission Coordinator, Quality Improvement staff, chief nursing officer (CNO), patient safety officer, nurse educator, all nurses with direct patient care, pharmacist, pharmacy staff, patient safety officer, infection preventionist, OR nurse manager, chief medical officer (CMO), nurse managers, nursing supervisors, nurse managers, nursing directors, policy and procedure team, compliance officers, risk managers, hospital legal counsel, and medication team members.