Celebrating Great Saves

High reliability organizations are constantly evaluating and designing systems that enhance patient safety. Simply put, they want to make sure that what should happen…happens and what shouldn’t happen…doesn’t happen. We always encourage staff to report when things go wrong or even when they could have gone wrong so that we can analyze the incident, identify errors, and prevent harm down the line. Embracing this culture of safety brings us closer to our vision of providing all patients with the care that we would want for our own loved ones. 

We like to celebrate when we hear real stories of how staff within our system have used behaviors and systems associated with high reliability to prevent harm. I’d like to share one of these stories with you today. 

You may know that in the U.S., heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women. Heart disease can lead to myocardial infarction (also known as a heart attack). Knowing the prevalence of heart disease and dire implications of heart attack, we must always take potential heart attack symptoms seriously.  

The GBMC Health Partners Communications Access Team received a call from a patient complaining of severe and worsening chest pain, shortness of breath, and arm numbness. Landri Hardiek, a Patient Services Assistant, recognized the severity of the symptoms as outlined in the GBMC Health Partners Policy for Patient Access and Scheduling. She immediately contacted the patient’s primary care office and transferred the call. She also sent a secure message to the patient’s primary care provider through our electronic health record system.  

Patient Services Assistant Linda Kirby assumed the call and kept the patient on the phone while the practice called 911. In the meantime, Landri notified the patient’s sister as requested. The patient was transported by EMS to a local hospital, was diagnosed with a myocardial infarction, and underwent a cardiac catheterization for a stent placement. Thanks to Landri’s attention to detail, adherence to the policy, clear communication with her team, and effective handoff, this patient received timely and lifesaving cardiac care. Thank you to Landri and Linda (and all others involved) for this great save! 

I am grateful to all our employees for reporting errors, as well as great saves, to help us make improvements that keep our patients safe! 

As a quick side note: I know I always tout the importance of advanced primary care and being good stewards of emergency department (ED) resources. That is, not using the ED for basic primary care or sick visits. However, if you ever experience symptoms of a heart attack, stroke, or other medical emergency (chest pain or discomfort, feeling weak or lightheaded, short of breath, etc.), please don’t hesitate to call 911. Calling 911 will ensure you get the fastest intervention possible. 

And lastly, congratulations to the Baltimore Orioles for clinching the AL East! Let's go O's!