“As a young child, Betty had been given penicillin, turned blue, and was rushed to the hospital. She was 15 when she got strep throat, was given penicillin, and died. Tragically, no one had even asked her about medication allergies.” (Barry B. Bialek, M.D. with Mark Crane, “10 Medical Errors that Changed the Standard of Care,” n.d.)

Not every medication error ends in tragedy, but every error violates the rights of patients to have the right drug, right dose, right route, right time, and right documentation provided to the right patient.

During their years of nursing practice, Good Help Connections’ experts, Justin Fuller (MSN, RN) and Patrick Stanley (BSN, RN), witnessed human error at times in the way medications were administered. To them, the problem seemed due more to flaws in the system than lack of concern by healthcare providers. But it was a very real problem that impacted the lives of people and it needed to be solved. They determined to do something that would elevate care and protect the rights of patients.

Drawing upon their technological and clinical expertise and sense for good workflow, Justin and Patrick evaluated how nurses used bar codes in combination with the clinical decision support (CDS) tools in ConnectCare (the proprietary EPIC-based electronic medical record of Good Help Connections). The investigation—coupled with data analytics—yielded opportunity to improve technical performance, improve operational performance, and ultimately improve patient safety.

In April 2015, Justin and Patrick were picked from among hundreds of other applicants seeking to present their research to the prestigious American Nurses Informatics Association (ANIA)—a national organization highlighting cutting-edge developments at the point of care for nurses. Their investigation in medication administration earned them a national spotlight as they presented at this year’s ANIA Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

We applaud Justin and Patrick’s accomplishment which embodies the Bon Secours mission to provide Good Help to Those in Need®. The service that Justin and Patrick provided for Bon Secours exemplifies the way in which the subject matter experts at Good Help Connections begin with a high level of personal care and join it with real-world medical experience to benefit our healthcare partners. Just imagine how we could help you help the world. To find out more about partnering with Good Help Connections, email us.

REFERENCES
Bialek, Barry B., M.D., with Mark Crane, (n.d.) “10 Medical Errors that Changed the Standard of Care”
Retrieved from http://www.medscape.com/features/slideshow/med-errors