A Comprehensive Guide to TJC's National Patient Safety Goals

The Joint Commission (TJC) has always been at the forefront of advocating for patient safety and quality healthcare. As we step into 2024, TJC has laid out specific National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) that cater to various healthcare sectors, ensuring that the focus on patient safety is comprehensive and inclusive. Below is a breakdown of the goals across different healthcare settings.  

The Joint Commission’s 2024 National Patient Safety Goals for each program are included below. For convenient access to downloadable PDFs for each, please click the corresponding link below: 

• Ambulatory Health Care National Patient Safety Goals 
• Behavioral Health Care National Patient Safety Goals 
• Critical Access Hospital National Patient Safety Goals 
• Hospital National Patient Safety Goals 
• Laboratory National Patient Safety Goals 
• Nursing Care Center National Patient Safety Goals 
• All Programs National Patient Safety Goals 

The 2024 National Patient Safety Goals by The Joint Commission focus on critical areas to enhance patient safety across various healthcare settings. Key goals include improving patient identification and communication among caregivers, enhancing medication safety, ensuring clinical alarm safety, reducing healthcare-associated infections, falls, and pressure ulcers, addressing specific risk assessments, promoting healthcare equity, and adhering to a universal protocol for preventing surgery errors. These goals target a wide range of healthcare providers, including hospitals, nursing care centers, and ambulatory services, underlining the importance of comprehensive strategies to mitigate risks and improve patient care outcomes.  

Identify patients correctly  

NPSG.01.01.01  
Use at least two ways to identify patients. For example, use the patient’s name and date of birth. This is done to make sure that each patient gets the correct medicine and treatment.  

Use medicines safely  

NPSG.03.04.01  
Before a procedure, label medicines that are not labeled. For example, medicines in syringes, cups and basins. Do this in the area where medicines and supplies are set up.  

NPSG.03.05.01  
Take extra care with patients who take medicines to thin their blood. 

NPSG.03.06.01  
Record and pass along correct information about a patient’s medicines. Find out what medicines the patient is taking. Compare those medicines to new medicines given to the patient. Give the patient written information about the medicines they need to take. Tell the patient it is important to bring their up-to-date list of medicines every time they visit a doctor. 

Prevent infection  

NPSG.07.01.01  
Use the hand cleaning guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization. Set goals for improving hand cleaning. 

Improve health care equity 

NPSG.16.01.01  
Improving health care equity is a quality and patient safety priority. For example, health care disparities in the patient population are identified and a written plan describes ways to improve health care equity. 

Prevent mistakes in surgery 

UP.01.01.01  
Make sure that the correct surgery is done on the correct patient and at the correct place on the patient’s body 

UP.01.02.01 
Mark the correct place on the patient’s body where the surgery is to be done. 

UP.01.03.01 
Pause before the surgery to make sure that a mistake is not being made. 

Identify individuals served correctly  

NPSG.01.01.01 
Use at least two ways to identify individuals served. For example, use the individual’s name and date of birth. This is done to make sure that each individual served gets the correct medicine and treatment. 

Use medicines safely  

NPSG.03.06.01 
Record and pass along correct information about an individual’s medicines. Find out what medicines the individual served is taking. Compare those medicines to new medicines given to the individual served. Give the individual served written information about the medicines they need to take. Tell the individual served it is important to bring their up-to-date list of medicines every time they visit a doctor. 

Prevent infection  

NPSG.07.01.01 
Use the hand cleaning guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization. Set goals for improving hand cleaning. 

Identify individuals served safety risks  

NPSG.15.01.01 
Reduce the risk for suicide. 

Improve health care equity 

NPSG.16.01.01 
Improving health care equity is a quality and patient safety priority. For example, health care disparities in the patient population are identified and a written plan describes ways to improve health care equity.

Identify patients correctly  

NPSG.01.01.01 
Use at least two ways to identify patients. For example, use the patient’s name and date of birth. This is done to make sure that each patient gets the correct medicine and treatment. 

Improve staff communication  

NPSG.02.03.01 
Get important test results to the right staff person on time. 

Use medicines safely 

NPSG.03.04.01 
Before a procedure, label medicines that are not labeled. For example, medicines in syringes, cups and basins. Do this in the area where medicines and supplies are set up.  Find out what medicines the patient is taking.  

NPSG.03.05.01  
Take extra care with patients who take medicines to thin their blood.  

NPSG.03.06.01 
Record and pass along correct information about a patient’s medicines. Compare those medicines to new medicines given to the patient. Give the patient written information about the medicines they need to take. Tell the patient it is important to bring their up-to-date list of medicines every time they visit a doctor. 

Use alarms safely 

NPSG.06.01.01 
Make improvements to ensure that alarms on medical equipment are heard and responded to on time. 

Prevent infection  

NPSG.07.01.01 
Use the hand cleaning guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization. Set goals for improving hand cleaning. 

Identify patient safety risks  

NPSG.15.01.01 
Reduce the risk for suicide. 

Improve health care equity  

NPSG.16.01.01 
Improving health care equity is a quality and patient safety priority. For example, health care disparities in the patient population are identified and a written plan describes ways to improve health care equity. 

Prevent mistakes in surgery  

UP.01.01.01 
Make sure that the correct surgery is done on the correct patient and at the correct place on the patient’s body. 

UP.01.02.01  
Mark the correct place on the patient’s body where the surgery is to be done. 

UP.01.03.01 
Pause before the surgery to make sure that a mistake is not being made. 

Identify patients correctly  

NPSG.01.01.01  
Use at least two ways to identify patients. For example, use the patient’s name and date of birth. This is done to make sure that each patient gets the correct medicine and treatment. 

Improve staff communication  

NPSG.02.03.01 
Get important test results to the right staff person on time. 

Use medicines safely 

NPSG.03.04.01 
Before a procedure, label medicines that are not labeled. For example, medicines in syringes, cups and basins. Do this in the area where medicines and supplies are set up.  Find out what medicines the patient is taking.  

NPSG.03.05.01  
Take extra care with patients who take medicines to thin their blood.  

NPSG.03.06.01 
Record and pass along correct information about a patient’s medicines. Compare those medicines to new medicines given to the patient. Give the patient written information about the medicines they need to take. Tell the patient it is important to bring their up-to-date list of medicines every time they visit a doctor. 

Use alarms safely 

NPSG.06.01.01 
Make improvements to ensure that alarms on medical equipment are heard and responded to on time. 

Prevent infection  

NPSG.07.01.01  
Use the hand cleaning guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization. Set goals for improving hand cleaning. 

Identify patient safety risks  

NPSG.15.01.01 
Reduce the risk for suicide. 

Improve health care equity  

NPSG.16.01.01 
Improving health care equity is a quality and patient safety priority. For example, health care disparities in the patient population are identified and a written plan describes ways to improve health care equity. 

Prevent mistakes in surgery  

UP.01.01.01 
Make sure that the correct surgery is done on the correct patient and at the correct place on the patient’s body. 

UP.01.02.01  
Mark the correct place on the patient’s body where the surgery is to be done. 

UP.01.03.01 
Pause before the surgery to make sure that a mistake is not being made. 

Identify patients correctly  

NPSG.01.01.01  
Use at least two ways to identify patients. For example, use the patient’s name and date of birth. This is done to make sure that each patient gets the correct medicine and treatment. 

Improve staff communication  

NPSG.02.03.01 
Get important test results to the right staff person on time. 

Prevent infection  

NPSG.07.01.01 
Use the hand cleaning guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization. Set goals for improving hand cleaning. 

Identify patients correctly  

NPSG.01.01.01  
Use at least two ways to identify patients. For example, use the patient’s name and date of birth. This is done to make sure that each patient gets the correct medicine and treatment. 

Use medicines safely 

NPSG.03.05.01  
Take extra care with patients who take medicines to thin their blood.  

NPSG.03.06.01 
Record and pass along correct information about a patient’s medicines. Compare those medicines to new medicines given to the patient. Give the patient written information about the medicines they need to take. Tell the patient it is important to bring their up-to-date list of medicines every time they visit a doctor. 

Prevent infection  

NPSG.07.01.01  
Use the hand cleaning guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization. Set goals for improving hand cleaning. 

Prevent patients and residents from falling 

NPSG.09.02.01 
Find out which patients and residents are most likely to fall. For example, is the patient or resident taking any medicines that might make them weak, dizzy or sleepy? Take action to prevent falls for these patients and residents. 

Prevent bed sores 

NPSG.14.01.01  
Find out which patients and residents are most likely to have bed sores. Take action to prevent bed sores in these patients and residents. From time to time, re-check patients and residents for bed sores. 

Each set of goals is tailored to address the unique challenges and safety risks in different healthcare environments. The overarching aim is to enhance patient care quality, reduce healthcare disparities, and ensure that safety is a paramount concern across all sectors. The commitment to these goals signifies TJC's ongoing dedication to improving healthcare outcomes and fostering environments where patient safety is continuously prioritized and advanced.