Stanford Report, March 16, 2005

Hospital honored for patient safety

The Child Health Corporation of America has awarded Lucile Packard Children's Hospital its 2005 Race for Results award recognizing hospitals that "demonstrate significant and sustained improvements in the delivery of efficient and effective clinical care."

The hospital won the award—its fourth in 12 months for patient safety— for a program that reduced adverse drug events in the hospital by 70 percent in a 24-month period. The field for this annual award included 40 other children's hospitals from around the country. One other institution, Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., was also recognized.

Packard Hospital's entry application documented how staff members had developed a three-pronged approach to reduce adverse drug events. It required streamlining medication ordering, managing high-risk medications and involving front-line staff in patient safety efforts. The end result, which surpassed expectations, was praised by the hosptial administrators, medical leadership and board of directors.

The drug safety effort was overseen by Paul Sharek, MD, medical director of quality management; Sandra Trotter, patient safety program manager, and Bob Poole, pharmacy director. Sharek and Trotter will discuss the program at the Child Health Corporation's annual meeting in Phoenix next month.