The Hospital Association of Rhode Island (HARI) has selected James O’Brien, MD, as the recipient of the Edward J. Quinlan Award for Patient Safety Excellence honoring a hospital team or unit that has implemented an innovative initiative resulting in measurable improvement in quality and patient safety. O’Brien, director of inpatient obstetrics at Women & Infants Hospital and assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, accepted the award on behalf of his team for their work on “Elimination of Elective Delivery at Less than 39 Weeks Gestation” at the 25th Annual Celebration of Excellence in Hospital Care on Nov. 6.

O’Brien’s project to eliminate elective delivery at or before 39 weeks began late in 2008. “We realized that the existing guideline for elective delivery was poorly enforced and was dependent on inconsistent information,” said Dr. O’Brien. The department’s project resulted in an elimination of elective deliveries before 39 weeks gestation with a four-tiered “hard stop” process.

The process for cesarean section involves several reviews of dating information and physician consultation. Each review is a multidisciplinary effort with consultation information review by personnel and by members of the ambulatory surgery and perioperative teams. The process also plans deliveries appropriately for those who must deliver early due to a specific medical condition. This initiative has become a model locally in the Care New England system now in place at Kent Hospital and Memorial Hospital.

Each year, HARI recognizes member hospital employees for their exemplary dedication and performance in health care.