Hospital Information for the Public

Care of Patients

The goal of the care of patients function is to provide individualized care in settings responsive to specific patient needs.

Planning and Providing Care

This area reflects an evaluation of the planning and providing of care, treatment, and rehabilitation, and how the hospital sets care goals for each patient and selects qualified personnel to provide and evaluate the care. We do not directly evaluate the care provided to an individual patient. Rather, the standards require the hospital to monitor the results of care processes.

Anesthesia Care

This area reflects an evaluation of the careful planning and delivery of anesthesia. Issues include whether the patient's condition is assessed prior to anesthesia; whether a plan for anesthesia has been developed; whether patients are informed of anesthesia risks and options; and whether patients are carefully monitored during anesthesia.

Medication Use

This area reflects an evaluation of the processes the hospital uses to prescribe, prepare, dispense, and administer medications. Specific issues include the processes used to ensure that medications are prepared and dispensed in accordance with all laws and regulations; that the processes used to ensure that the right medication is given to the right patient; that whether emergency medications are available consistently; and that whether the hospital has a system for identifying, handling, and minimizing medication errors and adverse drug reactions. Whether medications prescribed for patients produce the desired results is not evaluated.

Nutrition Care

This area reflects an evaluation of whether the hospital provides a plan for nutrition therapy to patients, when appropriate; whether food and nutrition products are prescribed by authorized staff and distributed in a safe, accurate, and timely manner; and whether each patient's response to nutrition care is monitored.

Operative Procedures

This area reflects an evaluation of how thoroughly the hospital determines that appropriate procedures (including surgery and other invasive procedures) are provided, and whether these procedures are performed safely and effectively. Surveyors evaluate whether the hospital obtains patients' informed consent before procedures are performed; and whether the hospital's processes for ensuring that patients receive appropriate preoperative preparation and monitoring during the procedure. We do not evaluate the actual outcomes of various surgical procedures.

Rehabilitation Care

This area reflects an evaluation of whether a written rehabilitation plan is available for each patient; whether the hospital establishes measurable goals for assessing the patient's progress against the plan; and whether care or qualified and competent professionals provide services.

Special Treatment Procedures

This area reflects an evaluation of how the hospital ensures that special treatment procedures are safe and appropriate. Such procedures include restraint, seclusion, convulsive therapy, psychosurgery, and behavior modification. Due to the risks inherent in these procedures, surveyors evaluate whether clinicians have made extra efforts to ensure that the use of such procedures is warranted; and patients' rights, dignity, and well being are protected during the procedures. Surveyors also assess whether qualified staff evaluate the patient and approve the procedures.