It’s just another day in the busy ED at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. A patient stops ED nurse Matt Gillespie in the corridor and says the door to the rest room is locked and no one is answering. Matt could just redirect the person in need of a restroom and then get on with his work – it would be quicker after all and he is busy. But something makes him stop mid-routine and investigate. He keys open the door and finds a patient unconscious and not breathing. He lifts the patient up and calls for help. Matt and the ED staff successfully resuscitate the patient.
Matt’s willingness to stop and question something that seems out of place saves the patient’s life.
Penn Presbyterian Medical Center is proud to name Matt Gillespie, RN, BSN its first Patient Safety Hero award recipient! The Patient Safety Hero Award honors those who go the extra mile to provide a safer environment for our patients. PPMC especially wants to recognize those of us who challenge assumptions and push back against habit – those of us who speak up and protect our patients when something doesn’t seem right. We want to thank people like Matt.
Matt was awarded a framed certificate of appreciation at the July Department Director’s meeting and received a Visa gift card. Congratulations Matt!!
Do you know a Patient Safety Hero?
The new Patient Safety Hero award will be given quarterly. Nomination forms are available on your units, in the CEQI department on the second floor of the Mutch building and on the PPMC intranet. PPMC’s Patient Safety Committee will review the nominations each quarter and choose a winner. Submit completed forms to Lisa Glowacki in the CEQI department: lisa.glowacki@uphs.upenn.edu.
