Which organization identifies National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs)?

• A. The Joint Commission
• B. The FDA
• C. World Health Organization
• D. The American Medical Association

Answer: (A)

National Patient Safety Goals are established by The Joint Commission to guide safety improvements in healthcare settings. The Joint Commission is the U.S. accrediting body for hospitals and clinics, and it creates these goals to set the standards that facilities must meet to earn and maintain accreditation. The goals focus on critical safety areas like correct patient identification, clear communication among caregivers, safe medication practices, preventing wrong-site or wrong-procedure surgeries, and preventing infections. Other organizations don’t set these goals: the FDA regulates drugs and medical devices, the World Health Organization provides international guidelines but not U.S.-specific accreditation goals, and the American Medical Association is a professional group that advocates for physicians rather than issuing these safety standards.