Accreditation

New NSPGs include anticoag therapy, responding to unexpected deterioration

Accreditation Connection, August 6, 2007

At the end of June, The Joint Commission released its changes to the 2008 National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG). The two major additions were requirements for:

  • Reducing the risk of patient harm from anticoagulation therapy (NPSG #3E)
  • Creating a system for immediate response when a patient's condition deteriorates suddenly (NPSG #16 and #16E)

For the first time, hospitals will have a full year to phase in the requirements, with full implementation required by January 2009.

"The new patient safety goals will not be too difficult for hospitals to adopt, especially among hospitals that have already piloted segments of these programs," says Geoffrey Page, performance improvement coordinator at Mount Sinai Hospital in Chicago. "The new one-year phase-in period is also welcome, as it makes the program appear more doable."

Access the full story in the August issue of Briefings on The Joint Commission; access is free for subscribers, nonsubscribers can sign up for a 30-day free trial of BOJExtra! or purchase a copy of the story for $10 by clicking here.

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