Guam Hospital National Patient Safety Goals

• Category: Employment - Health and Safety
• State: Multi-State
• Control #: US-0525BG
• Format: PDF

Description

The purpose of the National Patient Safety Goals is to improve patient safety. The goals focus on problems in health care safety and how to solve them.

The Guam Hospital National Patient Safety Goals focus on ensuring the highest level of patient safety and quality care in healthcare facilities across Guam. These goals have been established to address major patient safety concerns and to encourage healthcare providers to implement standardized protocols and procedures that help prevent adverse events and medical errors. By actively working towards achieving these goals, healthcare organizations in Guam can enhance patient outcomes and reduce the risks associated with healthcare delivery. One of the key goals of the Guam Hospital National Patient Safety Goals is to improve the accuracy of patient identification. This includes employing methods to correctly identify patients, such as using two patient identifiers (e.g., name and date of birth) to confirm the patient's identity before performing any medical procedure or administering medication. By emphasizing accurate patient identification, Guam hospitals aim to prevent instances of identification that can lead to wrong treatments, surgeries, or medications being administered. Another important goal is to prevent the occurrence of surgical site infections. Guam hospitals strive to minimize the risk of infections by following evidence-based guidelines for surgical procedures, implementing strict aseptic techniques, and ensuring proper sterilization of surgical instruments. By adhering to these guidelines, healthcare providers can enhance patient safety and reduce the likelihood of post-operative complications. Additionally, the Guam Hospital National Patient Safety Goals emphasize the importance of medication safety. To prevent medication errors, hospitals in Guam focus on improving the medication management process, including proper prescribing, dispensing, administration, and monitoring. This includes implementing safeguards, such as computerized physician order entry systems and barcode scanning, to minimize the risk of medication mistakes and adverse drug events. Moreover, Guam hospitals aim to reduce the risk of patient falls. They implement strategies to identify patients at risk of falling, assess their fall risk, and implement preventive measures accordingly. These may include regular assessments, implementing fall precautions (e.g., bed alarms, non-slip flooring), educating patients and their families about fall prevention, and ensuring staff members are trained on proper fall prevention protocols. The Guam Hospital National Patient Safety Goals also promote effective communication among healthcare providers. They encourage open and honest dialogue, efficient hand off processes, and clear communication of critical test results to enhance patient safety and prevent communication-related errors. It is important to note that while the aforementioned goals are common to many healthcare organizations, each hospital in Guam may have additional specific goals based on their unique circumstances and areas of improvement. The overarching aim of these goals is to create a safe and reliable environment for patients, where their welfare remains the top priority.