The Midwest Alliance for Patient Safety Patient Safety Organization announced the recipients of two MAPS PSO Patient Safety Champion awards in recognition of extraordinary efforts to improve patient safety in healthcare. Fairfield Memorial Hospital was one of the organizations receiving an award. That award was the Patient Safety Champion team award.
For the 2023 Patient Safety Champion team award, the committee honored the following emergency department staff members at Fairfield Memorial Hospital:
· Bobby Bridgeman, CPhT
· Merri Corbett-Mercer, EMT-P
· Rachel Jennings, RN, BSN
· Dawn Murbarger RN, EMT-P, LI
· Hattie Schoepf, RN
· Jennifer Young, RN
The Fairfield Memorial Hospital ED team was recognized for observing the plunger of a 3 cubic centimeter syringe had extra adhesive that was being pulled down into a syringe, which could have been injected into a patient and caused harm. After this finding, multiple syringes in the lot were tested and found to have the same issue. All syringes were removed from stock, and the manufacturer was immediately contacted with the finding. Due to the attention of the ED team, potential harm was prevented to incoming patients. Luke McDaniel, Chief Quality Officer at Fairfield Memorial Hospital, nominated the ED team.
The awards were presented by MAPS, an Illinois Health and Hospital Association company, at the MAPS PSO Annual Culture of Safety Workshop in November of 2023.
The MAPS PSO Patient Safety Champion Program has been federally certified since 2010, MAPS PSO assists its members with the important work of reducing adverse events so they can provide a safer healthcare experience for their patients. As part of its commitment to member excellence, MAPS established the Patient Safety Champion Program to highlight and reward members’ commitment to patient safety.
“IHA and MAPS are proud to congratulate this year’s awardees from Fairfield Memorial Hospital for their steadfast commitment to prevent harm and improve patient safety,” said IHA President and CEO A.J. Wilhelmi. “The extraordinary work happening at these hospitals showcases the integrity and dedication of the Illinois healthcare community to provide a safer healthcare experience for their patients.”
MAPS PSO has a vital role in coordinating adverse event reporting and aggregating the data to drive collaboration and change. MAPS PSO members use this information to guide their efforts to improve care. MAPS PSO members include Midwestern health systems, hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals, physicians groups, long-term care and specialty outpatient clinics. Each benefits from the security of a protected PSO environment to collect, analyze, and learn from adverse event data and best practices.
To learn more about MAPS PSO, visit www.alliance4ptsafety.org.