Johns Hopkins and Queen's Health Systems collaborate to improve patient safety at hospitals in Hawaii

The Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality and The Queen's Health Systems in Honolulu have entered into a collaboration agreement to improve patient safety and quality of care initiatives at hospitals in the state of Hawaii.

Initially, the entities will work together to conduct a comprehensive assessment of The Queen's Health Systems' current safety programs and culture. The assessment will evaluate one hospital's governance structure, leadership philosophy and management system -- key characteristics of hospitals and health systems that have successfully reduced several preventable harms. Together, the two parties will set recommendations based on findings and proven interventions developed at the Armstrong Institute, and then design an implementation strategy.

"We are excited to collaborate with The Queen's Health Systems to co-create solutions that promote positive patient experiences and safe, high-quality care," says Peter Pronovost, senior vice president for patient safety and quality at Johns Hopkins Medicine and director of the Armstrong Institute. "At the Armstrong Institute, our mission is to partner with all interested parties to eliminate preventable harms, optimize patient outcomes, and experiences and reduce waste in the delivery of health care resources. We look forward to sharing our approach with Queen's and learning from their efforts to develop innovative programs that will benefit the people in the state of Hawaii."

"Hawaii depends upon Queen's to provide outstanding, high-quality health care. We believe that by working with Dr. Pronovost and his team of quality and safety experts from Johns Hopkins, we can further fulfill our mission to provide high-quality health care for native Hawaiians and all the people of Hawaii," says Leslie Chun, chief quality officer for The Queen's Medical Center. "At Queen's, we are committed to continuous learning so that we always keep improving the care we provide for the benefit of our community. With this collaboration, we will be working with the world's leader in quality and patient safety."

One initiative being considered for implementation is the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP). Developed by the Armstrong Institute, CUSP provides health care workers with the tools to identify hazards associated with hospital-acquired infections, medication administration errors, and teamwork and communication breakdowns.

"We will work with The Queen's Health Systems to develop a CUSP training packet tailored to the specific needs of the system's health care workers and patient populations," says Nancy Edwards Molello, project leader for the Armstrong Institute. "CUSP has successfully reduced hospital-acquired infections in several hospitals across the nation, include The Johns Hopkins Hospital. We are excited to work with Queen's to customize the program for its staff."

Long-term plans may include the development of a patient safety and quality institute that would serve the people of Hawaii. The center would be located at The Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu.

Several leaders from Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Armstrong Institute traveled to Queen's headquarters in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Tuesday, July 7, to officially kick off the new collaboration.

Under the terms of the agreement, both parties will contribute personnel and infrastructure. Financial terms were not disclosed.