A Baxter Regional Medical Center Registered Nurse, Sheila Rather, has received one of two awards given across Arkansas for demonstrating courage by questioning orders for what she believed to be an inappropriate prescription of a high-risk pain medication for a fragile patient, advanced in age.
The Individual Good Catch Award is from the American Data Network Patient Safety Organization (ADNPSO), presented quarterly this year to outstanding clinicians working to drive change and enhance patient safety through engagement in the organizations statewide near miss campaign.
The awarding organization noted Rather contacted the hospital pharmacy to question the orders. Because Rather spoke up, the pharmacist was able to provide the patients physician with vital information regarding the appropriate use of the medication in question, and a more safe and effective pain management protocol was established for the patient. Rathers Good Catch has been shared as a teaching tool across the organization so that others might be inspired to come forward with questions or concerns that could ultimately prevent harm.
The Good Catch campaign offers participating organizations opportunities to significantly increase near miss reporting, reveal process and system vulnerabilities, and develop and implement proactive data-driven improvement activities. The campaign is based on the belief that empowering hospital staff to speak up stands as one of the most impactful ways of fortifying a trustworthy organizational culture of safety. A near miss or close call reported today could prevent an error from happening tomorrow.
Forty-three Arkansas hospitals are participating in the Good Catch campaign. As a result, ADNPSO officials note the hospitals have reinvigorated their commitment to safety culture by reinstituting idle patient safety committees, engaging leadership, and improving communication between departments. By the end of the campaigns second quarter, participating facilities had reported over 2,000 near misses collectively.
The Good Catch campaign is endorsed by the Arkansas Hospital Association, Arkansas Health Executives Forum, Arkansas Organization of Nurse Executives, Arkansas Association for Healthcare Quality and Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care. To learn more about the Good Catch program, visit the campaign web page at American Data Network
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