Patient Safety Topic

Overview

​​​​​​​A hospital good catch program can be an effective means to improve patient safety. Good catches occur up to 100 times more frequently than Serious Events, but often go underreported. Recognizing and rewarding staff can encourage good catch submissions and provide more opportunities to improve patient safety. Following aggregate event analysis and facility interviews, the Patient Safety Authority (PSA) concluded that good catch programs can help hospitals more effectively analyze reported data and implement risk reduction strategies. Additionally, using a Good Catch Comparison report available through the PSA's Patient Safety Advisors ​can identify facility-specific event types or care areas that are reporting above or below aggregate peer rates, potentially highlighting successful practices or targets for improvement efforts.

Educational Tools

​Healthcare facilities can adapt or repurpose the following sample tools, reprinted with permission from a Pennsylvania healthcare organization:

Good Catch Recognition
Healthcare facilities can review this sample Good Catch program recognition sheet for ideas about how to structure their own program.

Good Catch Program Information
Healthcare facilities can adapt this sample Good Catch program information sheet to introduce their own good catch program.

Good Catch All Star Certificate
Healthcare facilities can adapt this sample certificate for their Good Catch program recognition award.

Good Catch Program Bulletin Board
Healthcare facilities may consider creating a Good Catch program poster board to recognize staff who perform and report good catches.

Multimedia

Building a Culture of Safety: A Journey to High Reliability

Using Feedback to Break the “Black Hole” of Event Reporting

Safety Tips for Patients