The National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) are guidelines that were established by The Joint Commission to address specific areas of concern regarding patient safety and promote improvements in healthcare quality. The Joint Commision is an independent, nonprofit organization that accredits and certifies healthcare organizations and programs in the United States. The NPSG guidelines cover a variety of patient safety topics, including medication safety, imporving patient identification, falls risk reduction, and infection control. Improving Patient Identification ensures that patients are correctly identified using at least two patient identifiers such as name and date of birth. The guidelines to prevent healthcare-associated infections include proper hand hygiene, the use of personal protective equipment, and adherence to infection control protocols. Medication safety goal focuses on reducing the risk of medication errors by standardizing medication labeling and improving medication reconciliation processes.

The risk of fall can be reduced and prevented using strategies such as regular assessments of patient fall risk, providing assistance with mobility as needed, and maintaining a safe environment to reduce the risk of patient falls and related injuries. Surgical safety is imporved by implementing protocols to prevent wrong-site, wrong-procedure, and wrong-patient surgeries. This includes preoperative verification processes and marking the surgical site.

The NPSGs provides standardized guidelines and targets for healthcare organizations to focus on improving patient safety. The NPSG also highlights the specific areas of patient safety that require attention so that healthcare organizations can prioritize their efforts and resources effectively. Moreover, the guidelines help to identify risks before they occur and deploy mechanisms to mitigate the risks more effectively. The guidelines improve the quality of care they provide and achieve better outcomes for patients. NPSGs emphasize the importance of effective communication and teamwork among healthcare providers, patients, and families. It promotes a culture of safety.