Phoenixville Hospital was notified by the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority (Authority) that members of their Safety Coach Committee were named winners in its annual “I AM Patient Safety” contest.
Members of the Safety Coach Committee include:
- Sandra Bach, Safety Coach Co-Champion and Lung Navigator
- Jadwiga Bobowska, Risk Manager and Patient Safety Officer
- Aileen Bojko, Safety Coach Co-Champion and Clinical Nurse Manager
- Tracy Duffy, Director Staff Development
- Susan Reichenbach, Vice President and Chief Quality Officer
The Authority received 153 nominations in 10 patient safety categories and selected winners with consideration to the following: commitment to patient safety, patient safety culture, initiative, and patient impact. “This recognition from the Authority validates all the hard work of the Safety Coach Committee on the behalf of patient safety,” said Stephen Tullman, President and CEO of Phoenixville Hospital. “Phoenixville Hospital is especially proud that our team is receiving this honor once again.”
Phoenixville Hospital’s Patient Safety Committee routinely reviews and reports the findings from Authority Advisory articles. Following the September 2017 Advisory article “Promote a Culture of Safety with Good Catch Reports,” the committee recommended analysis of hospital data to determine its frequency of reporting “good catches” – circumstances which prevented harm from reaching a patient, employee, or visitor.
After a complete review of the data, Phoenixville Hospital asked the Safety Coach Committee to develop a Good Catch Program, which employed the best practices referenced in the Advisory article and debuted in March 2018 during Patient Safety Awareness Week. The committee sent emails to staff educating them on the definitions, rationale, benefits, and procedures for good catch reporting. They also engaged staff with on-line surveys to vote on a logo for the program and provided a good catch quiz at the end of Patient Safety Awareness Week. Phoenixville’s safety coaches promoted awareness and reporting of good catches via the facility’s on-line event reporting system and they formed subcommittees to administer quarterly Good Catch awards.
In the first quarter following the launch of the Good Catch Program, the Hospital’s good catch reporting rate improved positively. Furthermore, analysis of good catches by event type provides important information for process improvement initiatives. Good Catch reporting has become an important component of a facility’s patient safety program as it promotes a culture of safety and enhances employee engagement.
About Phoenixville Hospital
Located in Phoenixville, Pa., and a member of Tower Health, Phoenixville Hospital is a 144-bed facility that provides comprehensive medical services through emergency room visits, inpatient admissions, outpatient procedures and community outreach programs. Phoenixville Hospital’s services include an award-winning cardiovascular program, a fully accredited cancer center, NAPBC-accredited breast health center, an acute inpatient rehabilitation center, and a large robotic surgery center. Phoenixville Hospital is accredited by The Joint Commission and has been recognized for its quality outcomes and clinical expertise across services lines that include joint replacement surgery, advanced heart failure care, and the designation as a Primary Stroke Center. For more information, visit www.towerhealth.org.