NABH National Safety Goals 2021

National Patient Safety Goals 2021

The purpose of the National Patient Safety Goals is to improve patient safety.
The goals focus on problems in health care safety and how to solve them.



National Patient Safety Goal #01 - Identify Patients Correctly

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.


National Patient Safety Goal #02 - Improve Staff Communication

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


National Patient Safety Goal #03 - Use Medicines Safely

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

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

National Patient Safety Goal #04 - Use Alarms Safely

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


National Patient Safety Goal #05 - Prevent Infection

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

Use the goals to improve hand cleaning.


National Patient Safety Goal #06 - Identify Patient Safety Risks

Reduce the risk for suicide.


National Patient Safety Goal #07 - Prevent Mistakes In Surgery


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

Mark the correct place on the patient’s body where the surgery is to be done.
Pause before the surgery to make sure that a mistake is not being made.