Going above and beyond in medication history: New Glasgow's pharmacy practice assistant Hannah Fougere nominated for Patient Safety Award

New Glasgow native Hannah Fougere, one of three pharmacy practice assistants in the emergency department at the Aberdeen Hospital, has been nominated for a patient safety award.

Her nomination submission highlights how “Hannah repeatedly goes above and beyond to complete the best possible medication history for each patient admitted to the hospital. She is diligent in investigating every possible source of information, and truly leaves no stone unturned. Many colleagues have noted that ‘we don’t know what we would do without Hannah.’”

When patients are being admitted to the hospital after an emergency department visit, Fougere interviews them to get a full picture of the medications they may be taking. 

“When I go into a room, I typically have the information about what medications they have had filled at their community pharmacy,” explained Fougere. “However, there can be discrepancies like when and if they started taking the prescriptions. I also collect information about non-prescription medication and any vitamins and supplements they are taking.”

That deep dive into patient medication history and current medications is important for keeping patients safe.

“Patient safety is top-of-mind when it comes to medication—especially if there’s an error significant enough to harm someone,” said Fougere.

Fougere's favourite part of her job is the conversations with patients and ensuring the medication is correct.

"It makes me feel good when I can walk out of a patient’s room knowing that we have a holistic, accurate view of their medication and they are on the road to recovery.”

Patient safety nominees are nominated by their peers and demonstrate a genuine interest in safety and model Nova Scotia Health core values of patient safety.

Nova Scotia Health received 65 patient safety champion nominees from across the province. View the full list of 2023 patient safety nominees (PDF).