From the Publisher:

     Patient Safety:  Essentials for Health Care, Third Edition, is the complete guide to the patient safety standards for the ambulatory care, behavioral health care, critical access hospital, home care, hospital, long term care, and office-based surgery practice accreditation programs.  It includes the safety standards, rationales, elements of performance, and scoring information, all in one handy resource.

     This book explains the commonalities in the safety standards, such as the requirement for creating a culture of safety, conducting proactive risk assessment, and informing patients about unanticipated events.  This book also helps readers understand which standards apply to which settings.  The book offers detailed explanations of the Joint Commission's Safety standards and how the standards are surveyed, and it provides practical examples for staff to use for continuous standards compliance.  In addition, it discusses the requirements of the 2005 Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goals.

Table of Contents:

Part One:  Patient Safety:  An Overview

Chapter 1.    Patient Safety:  The Joint Commission Initiative

The Joint Commission's Commitment to Patient Safety
Patient Safety-Related Standards
Culture of Safety
The Joint Commission's Accreditation Process
Physician Engagement in Accreditation and Safety
Proactive Risk Assessment
Root Cause Analysis
Other Components of the Joint Commission's Safety Initiative
Public Policy Initiatives

Chapter 2.     The Joint Commission's 2005 National Patient Safety Goals

Goal 1.     Improve the accuracy of patient identification
Goal 2.     Improve the effectiveness of communication among caregivers
Goal 3.     Improve the safety of using medications
Goal 4.     Eliminate wrong-site, wrong-patient, wrong-procedure surgery
Goal 5.     Improve the safety of using infusion pumps
Goal 6.     Improve the effectiveness of clinical alarm systems
Goal 7.     Reduce the risk of health care-associated infections
Goal 8.     Accurately and completely reconcile medications across the continuum of care
Goal 9.     Reduce the risk of patient harm resulting from falls
Goal 10.   Reduce the risk of influenza and pneumococcal disease in older adults
Goal 11.   Reduce the risk of surgical fires
Goal 12.   Implementation of applicable National Patient Safety Goals and associated requirements by components and practitioner sites.

Universal Protocol
Analyzing Compliance with the National Patient Safety Goals
What is Next?
Frequently Asked Questions about the National Patient Safety Goals

Part Two:  Safety Standards and the Accreditation Process

Chapter 3.     Patient Safety Standards:  A Look at Joint Commission Requirements

Introduction to Patient Safety
Safety Standards:  What the Requirements Mean
The Joint Commission's Sentinel Event Policy:  The Relation to Safety
Sample Sentinel Event Alerts and Tips for Implementing Their Suggestions

Matrix 1:  Patient Safety Standards, Rationales, Elements of Performance, and Scoring Information for Ambulatory Care, Behavioral Health Care, Critical Access Hospital, Hospitals, and Long Term Care Organizations and Office-Based Surgery Practices

Matrix 2:  Patient Safety Standards, Rationales, Elements of Performance, and Scoring Information for Home Care Organizations

Chapter 4.     Patient Safety-Related Requirements in Other Joint Commission Standards

Provision of Care, Treatment, and Services
Medication Management
Infection Control
Integrating Laboratory Concerns into a Patient Safety Program
Staffing Effectiveness

Chapter 5.     Addressing Patient Safety in the Joint Commission's Accreditation Process

Revised Standards
Periodic Performance Review
Priority Focus Process
The On-Site Survey Process
The Accreditation Decision Process
Involving Staff in the Accreditation Process
Random Unannounced Surveys

INDEX