Peter J. Pronovost, MD, PhD, FCCM

Professor, Departments of Anesthesiology/Critical Care Medicine and Surgery
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Professor, Department of Health Policy & Management,
The Bloomberg School of Public Health
Professor, School of Nursing
Medical Director, Center for Innovation in Quality Patient Care
Director, Quality and Safety Research Group
1909 Thames Street, 2^nd Floor
Baltimore, MD 21231
Telephone: 410-502-3231
Fax: 410-502-3235
E-mail: ppronovo@jhmi.edu
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The author of more than 160 articles and chapters in the fields of patient safety, patient care in the intensive care unit (ICU), quality health care, evidence-based medicine, and the measurement and evaluation of safety efforts, Dr. Pronovost speaks internationally on the need for rigorous measurement and evaluation of patient safety efforts. He chairs the ICU Advisory Panel for Quality Measures of The Joint Commission, the ICU Physician Staffing Committee for the Leapfrog Group, and serves on the Quality Measures Work Group of the National Quality Forum. Dr. Pronovost also serves in an advisory capacity to the World Health Organization (WHO) and is leading its efforts to improve patient safety measurement, evaluation, and leadership capacity globally.

Dr. Pronovost’s research addresses several dimensions of patient safety. The first is translating evidence into practice, with the goal of increasing the extent to which patients reliably receive recommended, evidence-based interventions. In one collaborative research study of 103 ICUs in Michigan, the median rate of catheter-related bloodstream infections was reduced from 2.7 per 1000 catheter days to 0 after interventions were instituted (Pronovost P et al. N Engl J Med 355(26):2725–32, 2006).

The second area of research is identifying and mitigating hazards. Supported by the World Alliance for Patient Safety of the WHO, this worldwide collaborative effort will be a central hub for improving patient safety on a global level.

The third area of study for Dr. Pronovost’s group is measuring and improving safety culture. Using a survey tool to quantify safety culture, the team is studying the association between scores on the survey and clinical outcomes (e.g., postoperative complications, infections, and nurse turnover) in 800 hospitals in nearly 20 countries.

The fourth research focus is program development, measurement, and evaluation. This work evaluates the effectiveness and efficiency of interventions that are designed to improve quality and safety in healthcare. Examples include global initiatives to improve hand hygiene and national projects to ensure proper medication prescriptions and dosages upon patient discharge.

One of Dr. Pronovost’s long-term goals is to strengthen the infrastructure of patient safety research. In the WHO Safety Scholars program, which is designed to ensure the future of safety research, five physicians and one nurse complete a master’s degree in public health at Hopkins; they then conduct mentored safety research in the US, UK, or Switzerland on assignment with the WHO.

Professional Activities
International Anesthesia Research Society
American Society of Anesthesiologists
Society of Critical Care Medicine
American Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists
American Medical Association
Association for Health Services Research
Association of University Anesthesiologists

Selected Publications

1. Pronovost P, Needham D, Berenholtz S, Sinopoli D, Chu H, Cosgrove S, Sexton B, Hyzy R, Welsh R, Roth G, Bander J, Kepros J, Goeschel C. An intervention to decrease catheter-related bloodstream infections in the ICU. N Eng J Med 355(26):2725–32, 2006.
2. Makary MA, Al-Attar A, Holzmueller CG, Sexton JB, Syin D, Gilson MM, Sulkowski MS, Pronovost PJ. Needle stick injuries among surgeons in training. N Engl J Med 56(26):2693–9, 2007.
3. Sinopoli DJ, Needham DM, Thompson DA, Holzmueller CG, Dorman T, Lubomski LH, Wu AW, Morlock LL, Makary MA, Pronovost PJ. Intensive care unit safety incidents for medical versus surgical patients: A prospective multicenter study. J Crit Care 22(3):177–83, 2007.
4. Dennison CR, Mendez-Tellez PA, Wang W, Pronovost PJ, Needham DM. Barriers to low tidal volume ventilation in acute respiratory distress syndrome: Survey development, validation, and results. Crit Care Med 35(12):2747–54, 2007.
5. Pronovost PJ, Thompson DA, Holzmueller CG, Dorman T, Morlock LL. The organization of intensive care unit physician services. Crit Care Med 35(10):2256–61, 2007.
6. Fan E, Shahid S, Kondreddi VP, Bienvenu OJ, Mendez-Tellez PA, Pronovost PJ, Needham DM. Informed consent in the critically ill: A 2-step approach incorporating delirium screening. Crit Care Med 36(1):94–9, 2008.

Faculty/Research Team
Sean Berenholtz, MD, MHS
Chris Goeschel, RN, MPA, MPS
Lisa Lubomski, PhD
Jill Marsteller, PhD (JHU School of Public Health)
Elizabeth Martinez, MD, MPH
Julius Pham Cuong, MD PhD
David Thompson, DNSc, MS, RN
J. Bryan Sexton, PhD
J. Sexton, PhD

Fellows/Students
Douglas Noble, WHO Safety Scholar
Heon-Jae Jeong, MD, MBA, MPH, WHO Safety Scholar
Awori Hayanga, MD, MPH, WHO Safety Scholar
Nazir Lone, MD, MPH, WHO Safety Scholar
Maite Diaz Navarlaz, RN, PhD, MPH, WHO Safety Scholar
Angela LaShoher, MD, MPH, WHO Safety Scholar
Lia Clattenburg, MD, MPH
Onyi Onuoha, MD, MPH
Kurt Herzer, Undergrad Woodrow Wilson Scholar

Honors
MAP-Reader’s Digest International Fellowship for work in Nigeria (1991)
Center for AIDS Research Scholarship (1991)
Delta Omega (Public Health National Honor Society) (1999)
John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety Award for Research
The Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum (2004)
Presidential Citation, Contributions to SCCM (2001–2003)
William F. Rienhoff Scholars Award (2003)
American Society of Anesthesiologists Presidential Scholar Award (2003)
Physician Hero, Health Care Heroes Award (2004)