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The JCAHO releases 2004 Patient Safety Goals

Hospital Safety Connection, July 28, 2003

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The JCAHO on July 21 announced its 2004 National Patient Safety Goals, continuing all six of the 2003 goals and adding a new goal focusing on reducing the risk of health care-acquired infections.

For each of the patient safety goals, the JCAHO lists evidence-based requirements that set forth clear expectations for health care organizations to address specific types of errors. Beginning January 1, 2004, the JCAHO will evaluate the nearly 17,000 JCAHO-accredited health care organizations for compliance with all relevant goals and requirements.

The JCAHO's requirements for the new goal on reducing the risk of health care-acquired infections are as follows:

* Comply with current CDC hand-hygiene guidelines

* Manage as sentinel events all identified cases of unanticipated death or major permanent loss of function associated with a health care-acquired infection

The rest of the 2004 National Patient Safety Goals are as follows:

* Improve the accuracy of patient identification

* Improve the effectiveness of communication among caregivers

* Improve the safety of using high-alert medications

* Eliminate wrong-site, wrong-patient, and wrong-procedure surgery

* Improve the safety of using infusion pumps

* Improve the effectiveness of clinical alarm systems

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