Dawn Slette, RN, Riverwood Healthcare, with her Good Catch patient safety award
Patient safety is a top priority in Minnesota’s hospitals. A Riverwood Healthcare Center staff member has been named winner of an award that recognizes hospital professionals who demonstrate their commitment to keeping patients safe by “speaking up” to prevent a potential patient safety issue.
Dawn Slette, registered nurse who works in surgical services at Riverwood, won the Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) Good Catch for Patient Safety award in April. Slette noticed and corrected a scheduling error that could have resulted in a wrong-site surgery. She also went one step further by reporting the error to her manager, which eventually led to changes in the scheduling process.
“It is because of actions taken every day by dedicated professionals like Dawn Slette that Minnesota hospitals continue to be front-runners in patient safety,” said MHA Patient Safety Director Julie Apold. “Dawn’s efforts remind us what a difference one person can make to keep patients safe.”
Laura Eisenbraun, manager of surgical services, nominated Slette for the Good Catch award.
“I want to thank Dawn for providing exceptional patient care every day and providing leadership to our staff through outstanding compassion and dedication,” Eisenbraun says. “We regularly educate our entire surgical team on patient safety issues and are committed to providing the highest degree of safety for all our patients at Riverwood.”
All Good Catch for Patient Safety award winners are entered into the running to win the quarterly Good Catch for Patient Safety award. Quarterly winners are eligible to win the annual Good Catch for Patient Safety award, presented at the MHA Annual Awards banquet.