Improvement in Huddle Participation Among the Child Health Patient Safety Organization.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-2026

Identifier

DOI: 10.1097/JMQ.0000000000000315

Abstract

Preventable harm in pediatric care requires coordinated, cross-institutional learning. The Child Health Patient Safety Organization established weekly safety huddles to enhance situational awareness and strengthen a protected learning network under the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act. This iterative time-series quality improvement study examined weekly huddle content, assessed targeted interventions to increase participation, and evaluated engagement trends over time. The primary outcome was composite engagement, defined as ≥80% annual attendance and ≥5 submitted reports. Secondary measures included attendance, quarterly reporting, and categorization of reported safety events. Frequently reported events involved medication issues, diagnostic errors, and device malfunctions. Targeted interventions increased composite engagement from 21% to 71.4%, alongside improvements in weekly attendance and quarterly reporting. Organizations also reported using huddle insights to guide internal risk assessments and escalate concerns. Child Health Patient Safety Organization safety huddles improved participation, supported shared learning, and strengthened safety culture consistent with learning-organization and high-reliability principles.

Journal Title

American journal of medical quality : the official journal of the American College of Medical Quality

Volume

41

Issue

4

First Page

178

Last Page

185

MeSH Keywords

Humans; Patient Safety; Quality Improvement; Child; Safety Management; Organizational Culture

PubMed ID

42253142

Keywords

high reliability; huddle engagement; learning network; patient safety; safety huddle

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