Franklin Square Awarded for Patient Safety Initiative 04/14/2011

Franklin Square Hospital Center received the Minogue Award for Patient Safety Innovation from the Maryland Patient Safety Center (MPSC). The new award was created by the MPSC Board of Directors to recognize an organization that has made a demonstrable difference in patient safety through an innovative Solution. It is named for MPSC’s first President and Executive Director William Minogue, MD, FACP, to honor his enduring contributions and passion for improving patient care and safety. Franklin Square was the inaugural recipient, chosen for its comprehensive initiative for measurably reducing and preventing infant deaths through parent education in the nursery. Franklin Square addresses the growing number of infant deaths resulting from inappropriate sleep environments. In the examination of the causes of infant mortality, it was determined that from 2003 -2007, 75% of the 69 infant deaths in Baltimore County were associated with unsafe sleep environments. With this data in hand, Scott Krugman, MD, MS, Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at Franklin Square, and his team launched a primary prevention and educational initiative to tackle the issue of unsafe sleeping positions for infants. Based on a similar, successful program for abusive head trauma (AHT -- often called shaken baby syndrome), this initiative calls on nursery caregivers to focus on parent education, resource materials and a signed commitment to place the baby in a safe sleeping position. Overall, infant deaths due to inappropriate sleep conditions decreased according to Dr. Krugman. “It’s pretty exciting to see that we are making a difference. If every hospital in the Baltimore Metropolitan area did the same things on AHT and sleep safety, we could make a real impact on infant mortality, he says. “We know we are being successful because no one considers this a ‘program.’ This is just what we do now.”

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