The purpose of the Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goals is to promote specific improvements in patient safety. The Goals highlight problematic areas in health care and describe evidence and expert-based solutions to these problems. Recognizing that sound system design is intrinsic to the delivery of safe, high quality health care, the Goals focus on system-wide solutions, wherever possible.
As with Joint Commission standards, accredited organizations are evaluated for continuous compliance with the specific requirements associated with the National Patient Safety Goals. Although these requirements are generally more prescriptive than Joint Commission standards requirements, organizations are permitted to design alternative approaches to meeting Goal requirements and to request Joint Commission consideration and approval of such alternatives. The Joint Commission also provides guidance on how to achieve effective compliance with each Goal’s requirements. This guidance includes detailed answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
The National Patient Safety Goals are derived primarily from informal recommendations made in the Joint Commission’s safety newsletter, Sentinel Event Alert, recommendations from the Sentinel Event Advisory Group, sentinel events reported to the Joint Commission, and review of current patient safety literature.
The Sentinel Event database, which contains de-identified aggregate information on sentinel events reported to the Joint Commission, is the primary, but not the sole, source of information from which the Alerts, as well as the National Patient Safety Goals, are derived. A broadly representative Sentinel Event Advisory Group works with Joint Commission staff on a continuing basis to determine priorities for, and develop, Goals and associated requirements. As part of this development process, candidate Goals and requirements are sent to the field for review and comment. Selected existing and new Goals and requirements are annually recommended by the Advisory Group to the Joint Commission’s Board of Commissioners for final review and approval. The Advisory Group also assists the Joint Commission in evaluating potential alternatives to Goal requirements that have been suggested by individual organizations.