The words, “Good Catch,” are typically associated with a successful play during a sporting event, but Carilion Giles Community Hospital in Pearisburg, Virginia, uses this praise to help boost their culture of patient safety.

Patients of the hospital’s long-time program continue to benefit from employees who notice something amiss and speak up. One of the more recent highlights includes a hospital pharmacist, Amanda Terry, who helped a patient avoid an adverse drug event (ADE).

When Amanda reviewed a list of medications and a heart failure pamphlet with the patient, who has a speech impairment, the patient pointed to Lisinopril. Amanda then realized the patient was telling her he had an allergy to Lisinopril.

“It could have been catastrophic if we kept giving it to the patient,” said Jennifer Bailey, RN, BSN, Director of Quality and Patient Safety.

Amanda received a gift of appreciation and was formally recognized internally for her efforts, also reinforcing awareness of the Good Catch program.

While Amanda’s action is not the first time there was a “good catch” by a hospital employee, it continues to highlight the importance of listening to patients and being mindful of surroundings. Jennifer said there is a more recent example where an environmental services worker noticed a tourniquet was left on a patient and immediately notified a nurse, who removed it.

“We have a phenomenal team here,” Jennifer said. “They are always active and have the care of our patients as their highest priority. To them, it’s business as usual, but that just represents how great they are.”