Related Experiment Videos
Senior executive adopt-a-work unit: a model for safety improvement
Peter J Pronovost1, Brad Weast, Kate Bishop
1Johns Hopkins University, Departments of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Surgery, and Health Policy & Management, Baltimore, USA. ppronovo@jhmi.edu
Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Safety
|February 28, 2004
Summary
The Johns Hopkins Hospital patient safety program successfully engaged senior executives and staff to identify and fix patient safety hazards. This initiative fostered a stronger culture of safety within the hospital.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Patient Safety Science
- Organizational Behavior
Background:
- The Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) established a patient safety program to proactively identify and mitigate errors in patient care.
- The program involved senior hospital executives adopting specific intensive care units to collaborate with staff on safety initiatives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of a structured patient safety program involving executive leadership and staff collaboration.
- To assess the impact of the program on identifying and eliminating patient care hazards and fostering a safety culture.
Main Methods:
- Implementation of an eight-step program over six months, including culture surveys, safety science education, and staff safety surveys.
- The core method involved a senior executive adopt-a-work unit program, pairing executives with intensive care units.
- Systematic identification of safety concerns, implementation of improvements, and documentation/dissemination of results.
Main Results:
- The senior executive adopt-a-work unit program effectively identified and eliminated patient safety hazards.
- The initiative successfully cultivated a more robust culture of safety among healthcare staff.
Conclusions:
- The patient safety program is broadly implementable, with executive advocacy and staff engagement being critical success factors.
- Regular executive-staff meetings enhanced executive awareness, built staff trust, and enabled rapid resolution of potential patient harm issues.