Great Catch Winners

Amy Thompson, an occupational therapist in Rehabilitation Medicine, won the March Great Catch award for exceptional attention to detail during a therapy session. Thompson noticed the patient wasn’t using his dominant hand to reach for objects, saw his leg and arm buckling and noticed he was forgetful, which was unusual. She promptly escalated her concerns to the primary nurse and provider team, and a stroke code was activated. Assessments confirmed the patient was having a stroke, and he received essential care.

Pharmacists Ngoc Lam and Tena Abraham (pictured) questioned an order for a specific chemotherapy medication because it was not entered by an oncologist or part of a treatment plan. The patient had been admitted to the Oncology unit, prompting further review of the patient’s medical record to verify the appropriateness of the medication order. The record showed a diagnosis of non-cancer conditions. The Pharmacy team determined the provider intended to order a medication with a similar name for those conditions. They called the provider, who discontinued the incorrect order and ordered the correct medication. Lam’s and Abraham’s questioning attitude and the provider’s acceptance of the questioning attitude helped prevent a medication error. Additionally, Pharmacy requested an Epic optimization to prevent future events.