Key Takeaways
The Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) emphasize patient identification, medication safety, and reducing infection risk.
Nurses can help contribute to patient safety by establishing a rapport with their charges and practicing active listening.
You can become a registered nurse (RN) with an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) in as little as 20 months.
Nurses put patient safety goals front and center every day. Meeting this priority comes with the challenge of balancing the bustling environment of a hospital while addressing the needs of multiple patients.
One of the missions of a nursing school degree program is to teach future nurses the skills and knowledge needed to have a positive impact on their communities. This includes ensuring patient safety at every opportunity and following national guidelines for addressing the needs of people in their care.
What Are the National Patient Safety Goals?
The Joint Commission, an independent nonprofit organization, accredits more than 22,000 healthcare organizations and programs in the United States. Its National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) help protect patients across a range of types of healthcare facilities. These include:
Using two types of information to identify patients correctly, such as name and date of birth, to ensure that they get proper treatment
Clearly labeling medications and accurately recording patient medications to ensure safe medicine use
Handing off patient data to another healthcare provider in a timely and accurate manner to ensure effective communication
Follow proper handwashing guidelines to lower the risk of healthcare-associated infections
Identifying healthcare disparities and developing solutions to improve health outcomes for all patients
Confirming that the correct surgical procedure is being conducted on the correct patient, on the correct site on the patient’s body, to prevent mistakes in surgery
Using appropriate monitoring and moving techniques to reduce the risk of patient harm resulting from falls
In January 2026, the Joint Commission rolled out National Performance Goals (NPGs) for hospitals, which build upon existing NPSGs to help providers identify and address key areas of improvement, including fostering a culture of safety, prioritizing pain management and safe prescribing, and respecting patients’ rights. The ultimate goal of these new standards is to help hospitals improve patient safety and quality of treatment for every patient in their care.
6 Tips for How to Ensure Patient Safety
To ensure that you are meeting patient safety goals, remember these six tips.
1. Stay Calm
If you are tired, especially at the end of a long shift, it is easy to become irritated when a patient is uncooperative or a challenge arises. Take a few deep breaths or step out of the room for a quick break, if possible. When you are calm, your patient will feel your energy and may use it to calm themselves down, too.
2. Establish Rapport
Communication and trust are key to the nurse-patient relationship. Active listening can both make patients more at ease and alert nurses to underlying issues that may not be immediately clear. Trust leads to patients who are more honest about their symptoms, more cooperative with treatment and medication regimens, and less stressed — all of which contribute to positive outcomes.
3. Consider the Patient’s Perspective
Nurses often encounter people when they are struggling, such as after receiving a scary diagnosis or while experiencing pain and discomfort. When patients get angry, it is often their fears that are talking. Try to focus on the other person’s experience and not your own.
4. Look for an Underlying Cause of Mood Changes
Sometimes patients experience side effects from medications that can change their mood. Or it is possible they are in pain. Consider the possibility that their care needs to be corrected with a new form of treatment.
5. Do Not Take Things Personally
Take yourself out of the equation and try not to take the situation personally. Even when a situation is frustrating or scary, setting your own emotions aside is essential for meeting patient safety goals and making the most of your healthcare career.
6. Practice Self-Care
Make sure your routine includes self-care that helps you find ways to control your stress. Self-care may include taking time to relax and calm down or practicing mindfulness, meditation, or yoga.
Learn More About Nursing and Patient Safety Goals
Helping people when they need it most and ensuring patient safety during care can be extremely fulfilling. If you are thinking of becoming a nurse, Saint Paul’s School of Nursing can help you get started.
The Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) programs at our Staten Island and Queens, New York, locations prepare the nurses of tomorrow to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) and become registered nurses (RNs) in two to three years, or as little as 20 months of full-time enrollment.
Request more information or call us today at (855) 822-3018 and speak to one of our career counselors.
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