The purpose of the Patient Safety Goals is to promote specific improvements in patient safety. The goals highlight problematic areas in health care and describe evidence- and expert-based consensus solutions to these problems. Recognizing that sound system design is intrinsic to the delivery of safe, high-quality health care, the goals generally focus on systemwide solutions, wherever possible.

The following lists each of the International Patient Safety Goals (IPSG), and then a matrix matching appropriateness of goals to hospital activities. Beware, the latest edition used is 4th ed, which goes becomes active starting January 1, 2011.