Peer-reviewed article

Improvement in Huddle Participation Among the Child Health Patient Safety Organization

Anne M. Dykes, Matthew Hall, Emily Tooley, Stephanie Burrus, Kelly Johnson et al. · 8 Jun 2026

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.