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Inside best practice: Improve patient safety with good catches

HCPro's Weekly Update on the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®*, March 10, 2009

Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare-St. Joseph in Milwaukee, WI, maintains a safe patient environment with the help of a program called The Good Catch. The program, created by patient safety educator Cheryl Scott, RN, MSN, allows staff nurses to identify and report errors, known as “near misses” or “good catches,” before they reach the patient. When a nurse identifies an error (e.g., improper medication distribution) he or she fills out a form and returns it to Scott.

“The goal for the program is to improve patient safety,” says Scott. “By getting staff nurses to report ‘good catches’ or ‘near misses’ we are able to determine next steps. For example, is this a recurring error and can a process be improved?”

Since the program’s implementation at St. Joseph in 2006—an ANCC Magnet Recognition Program® recipient in 2008—there have been more than 350 “good catch” reports.

Source: HCPro’s Advisor on the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®, March 2009 issue. Don't have a subscription? Take a look at the benefits of becoming a member of HCPro’s Resource Center for the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®.

Editor’s note: Do you have a best practice you would like to share? E-mail them to associate editor Cameran Erny at cerny@hcpro.com and see your name in print!

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