What do the National Patient Safety Goals focus on?

The National Patient Safety Goals specifically focus on addressing critical areas that enhance patient safety within healthcare settings. One of the primary goals is to improve the accuracy of patient identification and to reduce the risk of errors related to medication reconciliation. Medication reconciliation is the process of ensuring that patients' medication lists are accurate and complete at various points of care—like hospital admission, transfer, and discharge. This helps prevent adverse drug events, which can arise from patients receiving the wrong medications or dosages, or from misunderstandings about their medication regimens.

By concentrating on medication reconciliation, the National Patient Safety Goals emphasize the importance of systematic approaches to managing medications, aiming to safeguard patients from potential harm due to medication errors. These goals underscore the vital role healthcare providers play in maintaining a close check on the medications that patients are prescribed and taking, thus promoting safer healthcare environments.