MassGeneral Hospital for Children is dedicated to providing the highest quality care to every patient at each of our locations. We are at the forefront of a revolution in medical care, a new paradigm that demands the constant measurement of quality coupled with continuous improvement. We identify and support strengths as well as opportunities for improvement.
Family Advisory Council
Your voice is important to improving quality at MassGeneral Hospital for Children. The Family Advisory Council is dedicated to the continuous development of a positive partnership among parents, children, and staff to ensure the needs of children and families are met during their experience here.
Improvements we’ve made:
Currently, performance is being measured through a variety of projects for inpatient and outpatient pediatric services, newborn nurseries, special care nurseries, newborn and pediatric intensive care units, departments of pediatric radiology, and home care for children. The various quality improvement (QI) projects are designed to address the Institute of Medicine recommendations for providing care that is safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable.
Group Beta Strep (GBS): GBS is a bacteria that some mothers carry during pregnancy. In some instances, it can be transmitted from an infected mother to a newborn during the delivery of the baby. If babies are at risk of being exposed to GBS bacteria, the mother is usually treated with IV antibiotics before the baby is born. In some cases, it may not be possible to treat the mother with enough medication before she delivers her baby. When this happens, babies require an evaluation to determine if they have been infected with GBS bacteria. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published treatment guidelines to help newborn physicians with proper assessment and treatment when needed. MassGeneral Hospital for Children nurseries monitor adherence to CDC GBS guidelines.
Vancomycin Resistance Prevention: Vancomycin is an important medication used to treat certain types of bacterial infections. Although it is a very effective drug, it is important that its use be limited to only those who truly need it because overuse can be associated with the emergence of resistant bacteria. To prevent this from happening, Vancomycin use is carefully monitored.
Vermont Oxford Network (VON): MassGeneral Hospital for Children is an active member in VON. VON membership allows us to measure clinical outcomes for babies who are treated in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Additionally, we are able to compare medical outcomes at similar hospitals throughout the country. This external comparison allows us to identify NICU strengths and address weaknesses if they are found.
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Evaluations (PICUEs): MassGeneral Hospital for Children has a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit to provide treatment for children who are critically ill or need a higher level of medical attention. In order to understand the quality of care that is provided in the PICU, we are participating in a national benchmarking system. This system allows us to measure quality of care and medical outcomes and to compare our performance to similar PICUs across the country.
Inpatient and Outpatient Satisfaction of Care: Using a variety of survey tools, MassGeneral Hospital for Children measures patient and family satisfaction of inpatient and outpatient care. We compare our scores against similar hospitals across the country to understand where we need to focus our improvement efforts. Using both quantitative and qualitative data, we regularly deploy initiatives to improve the inpatient and outpatient experience of pediatric care. We are committed to our Family Advisory Council for efforts related to satisfaction and family centered care.
Pediatric Radiation Safety: New technologies have allowed physicians to order tests that are very helpful in diagnosing certain medical problems. However, it is important to use these tests in a way that is safe for children. MassGeneral Hospital for Children uses low dose, pediatric-specific radiation protocols for CT scans in children and we closely monitor radiation exposure.
University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC): MassGeneral Hospital for Children belongs to a national database that allows us to measure important clinical outcomes and compare our rates to similar hospitals across the country. We are currently focusing on a variety of measures, including Mortality, Average Length of Stay, Thirty-Day Readmission Rates, and Meconium Aspiration Syndrome. Membership in UHC allows us to understand how our outcomes compare to a national standard.
