Participation in Children's Hospitals' Solutions for Patient Safety (SPS) network associated with immediate and long-term reductions in patient harm

SPS, the nation's largest network dedicated to improving safety in children's hospitals, demonstrates benefits to pediatric patients in today's JAMA Pediatrics article

COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers and collaborators from the Children's Hospitals' Solutions for Patient Safety (SPS) network have validated that participation in the network was associated with an immediate reduction in central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSI) and falls of moderate/greater severity, and that the implementation of SPS protocols was associated with a reduction in the monthly rate of adverse drug events (ADE) after participation in the network.

SPS, which was founded in Ohio in 2009 by six Ohio children's hospitals and expanded to eight Ohio hospitals, created a network of 25 additional hospitals across the United States in 2011 through the federal Hospital Engagement Network program and the Partnership for Patients initiative. The network has continued to enroll new hospitals, and as of 2022, includes more than 140 children's hospitals across North America.

The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics today, includes 99 members of SPS and supports the assertion that participation in the Partnership for Patients program was highly effective in accelerating reduction in hospital-acquired conditions. The study reviewed data and outcomes over an eight-year period, from January 1, 2011, through December 31, 2018.

The cohort of children's hospitals saw significant improvement in the three areas of harm above (CLABSI, falls and ADE), accounting for secular trends, with the implementation of the network's core principals. These principals include implementation of harm prevention bundles, reporting of outcomes and bundle compliance using standard definitions to the network monthly, participation in learning events, and implementation of a broad safety culture program.

"When we started SPS 13 years ago, we knew we were doing something transformative, but to see it validated through the data is really rewarding," said study co-author and SPS Strategic Advisor, Stephen Muething, MD. "Two of the core tenets of SPS are that everyone has something to teach, and everyone has something to learn, and that we must act with a sense of urgency. Seeing these results, we know these tenets work and most importantly, that they have saved children's lives – and we are excited to see what the network can do next!"

The study's authors include Muething; Trey Coffey, MD, FAAP, FRCP(C); Paul Sharek, MD, MPH; James Hoffman, Pharm.D, MS; Dave Purcell, PhD, MA; Miguel Marino, PhD; Anne Lyren, MD, M.Sc.'; Michele Saysana, MD; Richard Brilli, MD;  Dan Hyman, MD, MMM, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

More information about SPS is available at solutionsforpatientsafety.org.

SOURCE Children's Hospitals' Solutions for Patient Safety