Identify at least three safety goals established for hospital care.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

1. Identify patients correctly. Use at least two ways to identify a patient, such as the patient's name and date of birth.
2. Make sure patients receiving blood transfusions get the correct blood.
3. Get important test results to the right staff person on time.
4. Before a procedure, label all medicines in all containers-syringes, cups, and basins-located in the area where medicines and supplies are set up.
5. Find out what medicines the patient is taking. Take extra care with patients who take blood-thinning medications. Compare all medicines the patient has been taking to new medicines given to the patient. Are there contraindications? Make sure the patient knows which medicines to take when they are at home. Tell the patient it is important to bring their up-to-date list of medicines every time they visit a doctor. Record and pass along correct information about a patient's medicines.
6. Check alarms on all medical equipment and make sure that they can be heard and are responded to on time.
7. Use the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization guidelines for hand cleaning. Set and disseminate goals for improving hand cleaning.
8. Use proven guidelines to prevent:

a. Infections that are difficult to treat.
b. Blood infections from central lines.
c. Infection after surgery.
d. Infections of the urinary tract caused by catheters.

9. Find out which patients are most likely to commit suicide, and be sure others treating such a patient are aware.
10. Make sure the correct surgery is done on the correct patient and at the correct place on the patient's body.

a. Mark the correct place on the patient's body where the surgery is to be done.
b. Pause before the patient's surgery to make sure that no mistakes are being made. It helps if the surgeon calls out, "We are performing ________ on the (right hand) of patient, ________, birth date ________."