6 What is JCAHO? The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. It is a private nonprofit organization designed to maintain and elevate the standards of health care delivery through evaluation and accreditation of health care organizations.1 What are the 2008 National Patient Safety goals issued by the JCAHO? These 2008 JCAHO National Patient Safety goals include: 1. Improve the accuracy of patient identification. 2. Improve the effectiveness of communication among caregivers. 3. Improve the safety of using medications. 4. Reduce the risk of health care–associated infections. 5. Accurately and completely reconcile medications. 6. Reduce the risk of patient harm resulting from falls. 7. Encourage patients’ active involvement in their own care. 8. Improve recognition and response to changes in a patient’s condition.1 How may a program improve the accuracy of patient identification? Patient identification may be improved by: 1. Using at least two patient identifiers 2. Conducting a final verification process to confirm the correct patient, procedure, site, and availability of appropriate documents How may a program improve the effectiveness of communication among caregivers? Effective communication among caregivers may be achieved by: 1. Verifying the complete order or test result and having the person record and “read-back” the complete order or test result for verbal or telephone orders or for telephonic reporting of critical test results 2. Standardizing a list of abbreviations, acronyms, symbols, and dose designations that are not to be used throughout the organization 3. Measuring, assessing, and, if appropriate, taking action to improve the timeliness of reporting 4. Implementing a standardized approach to “hand-off” communications How may a program or institution improve safety in the use of medications? Safe use of medication may be improved by: 1. Identifying and annually reviewing a list of look-alike/sound-alike drugs 2. Labeling all medications and medication containers 3. Reducing the likelihood of patient harm associated with the use of anticoagulation therapy How may a program or institution reduce the risk of health care–associated infections? The risk of health care–associated infections may be reduced by: 1. Complying with current World Health Organization (WHO) Hand Hygiene Guidelines, or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) hand hygiene guidelines 2. Managing all identified cases of unanticipated death or major permanent loss of function associated with a health care–associated infection as sentinel events How may a program or institution accurately and completely reconcile medications? Medications may be properly managed by: 1. Implementing a process for comparing a patient’s current medications with those ordered for the patient while under care 2. Communicating a complete list of the patient’s medications to the next provider of service How may a program or institution reduce the risk of patient harm resulting from falls? Falls may be reduced by simply monitoring and implementing a fall reduction program. How may a program or institution encourage patients’ active involvement in their own care?
Quality Assessment
6.1 JCAHO
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