The Society of Hospital Medicine is part of a patient safety research group that received the prestigious 2016 John M. Eisenberg Award for Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality presented annually by The Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum, two leading organizations that set standards in patient care as part of the I-PASS Study Group.
I-PASS comprises a suite of educational materials and interventions dedicated to improving patient safety by reducing miscommunication during patient handoffs that can lead to harmful medical errors. The team in SHM’s Center for Quality Improvement has been instrumental in supporting the I-PASS Study Group, which represents more than 50 hospitals from across North America.
“The Eisenberg Award for Innovation represents the highest patient safety and quality award in the country, and we are honored to be recognized for our role in this important program,” said Jenna Goldstein, director of SHM’s Center for Quality Improvement. “Our team’s participation in developing and sustaining the SHM I-PASS mentored implementation demonstrates our commitment to ensure safe and high-quality care for hospitalized patients.”
SHM previously won the 2011 Eisenberg Award at the national level for its mentored implementation program model. Through its mentored implementation framework and project management, SHM has supported the I-PASS program across the country at 32 hospitals of varying types, including pediatric and adult hospitals, academic medical centers, and community-based hospitals. SHM has offered both an I-PASS mentored implementation program, in which a physician mentor coaches hospital team members on evidence-based best practices in process improvement and culture change for safe patient handoffs, and an implementation guide, which contains strategies and tools needed to lead the quality improvement effort in the hospital.
In a large multicenter study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, implementation of I-PASS was associated with a 30% reduction in medical errors that harm patients. An estimated 80% of the most serious medical errors can be linked to communication failures, particularly during patient handoffs.
In addition to its work with I-PASS, SHM’s Center for Quality Improvement plays a prominent role in developing tools that empower clinicians to lead quality improvement efforts in their institutions.
Brett Radler is SHM’s communications specialist.