Case Study: The Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals

Running head: THE JOINT COMMISSION

The Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals
Mary Schwantner
NUR 206
Professor L. K.
09-20-2012

The Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) is a non-profit organization based in the United States that offers accreditation to health care facilities as well as various health programs. The goal of the organization is to “continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value." (http://www.jointcommission.org)
The geriatric patient is susceptible to falls in general due to decreased vision, coordination, strength, flexibility, increase in cardiovascular disease, vertigo or cognitive impairment. Injury to a geriatric patient resulting from a fall often causes greater complications than would typically occur in a younger patient. Elderly patients are more prone to fracture due to bone density loss and extensive bruising from certain medications or loss of protective adipose tissue. Geriatric patients are also likely to obtain serious skin injuries resulting from falls because of thinning skin. Fractures could result in a patient losing mobility which could potentially lead to more serious complications such as pressure sores, urinary tract infections, thrombi or loss of joint function due to lack of movement. Injuries to the skin obtained from a fall could become infected. A simple fall to an elderly patient could result in a dramatic turn for the worse regarding overall health. "Among people 65 years and older, falls are the leading cause of injury deaths and the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma." (http://www.CDC.org) The Joint Commission addresses this concern with its goal to reduce the risk of falls. This particular goal is broken down into five elements of performance intended to predict risk for fall, intervene to reduce
Their mark of accreditation has become a respected seal of approval, indicating that a particular facility or program meets a particular set of high standards. They have put forth safety goals intended to encourage nurses and other health care providers to approach potential dangers with a multifaceted plan for intervention and prevention of errors, accidents and injury. Preventing falls will be an ongoing, evolving and improving process with regard to future nursing practice. Nurses will always need to think critically and utilize the knowledge, tools and equipment available to keep patients from falling and injuring themselves. Futuristic equipment may provide a more convenient, safer, faster way to assist patient mobility. Computer health care networking may make complete health history more readily available for review and consideration. Nothing, however, can replace the critically thinking nurse. “Nurses are leading practice innovations to systematically assess patients’ risk for falls and implement population based prevention interventions.” (http://www.nursingworld.org) For this reason, The Joint Commission sets standards and safety goals to encourage those within the field of nursing to actively assess, prevent, educate and evaluate. With due diligence, such standards and safety regulations can greatly increase overall