The Aliaksei Pustavoitau Lab conducts research on models and mechanisms of impaired consciousne...ss in patients who have suffered acute brain injury. Examples of our work include a study on the mechanisms of neurologic failure in critical illness and another on the use of intensivist-driven ultrasound at the PICU bedside. We also have a longstanding interest in patient safety and quality of care in the ICU setting. view more

Research in the Asad Latif Lab focuses on patient safety and quality improvement. Our key inter...ests include preventing hospital-acquired infections and improving health systems, the evaluation and prevention of healthcare errors and the utility of telemedicine in intensive care units. One recent study focused on reducing medication errors (the single most common type of error in healthcare) related to drug formulation in the intensive care unit. view more

Work in the Ayse Gurses Lab examines several topics related to human factors, including methods... for improving patient safety in the cardiac operating room, care coordination, transitions of care and compliance of providers with evidence-based guidelines. Our team also has an interest in research that explores the working conditions of nurses. We collaborate on studies related to the development of geriatrics health service delivery at all levels of the health system. view more

The Bradford Winters Lab conducts research on patient safety and quality of care. Our team focu...ses on the topics of patient care in the intensive care unit, evidence-based medicine, quality health care, and the measurement and evaluation of safety efforts. Currently our work involves evaluating pain management techniques in post-craniotomy patients, developing guidelines for policy development of patient safety initiatives and creating measures for rapid-response system outcomes. view more

Dr. Clare Rock is an assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases at the Jo...hns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Associate hospital Epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Faculty Member at Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality. Her research interest focuses the prevention of pathogen transmission in the hospital environment. This includes novel strategies of improving patient room cleaning and disinfection, including human factors engineering approaches, and conducting robust clinical trials to examine effectiveness of "no touch" novel technologies such as UV-C light. She has particular interest in carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae transmission in the hospital environment, including outbreak management, and transmission and epidemiology of Clostridium difficile. Her other area of interest is diagnostic stewardship, and the behavioral, cultural and human factors aspects of implementation of initiatives to enhance appropriate use of diagnostic tests. She leads a national initiative, as part of the High Value Practice Academic Alliance, examining strategies for appropriate testing for Clostridium difficile. This is a wider implementation of work that Dr. Rock conducted with The Johns Hopkins Health System facilities.

Dr. Rock has multiple sources of grant funding including from the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and industry. Dr. Rock is Vice Chair of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America Research Network, and serves on the SHEA research committee. Dr. Rock earned her M.B.B.Ch. at the University College Dublin School of Medicine, National University of Ireland, and her MS masters of clinical science of research at the University of Maryland, where she received the MS scholar award for epidemiology. view more

Researchers in the David Thompson Lab examine the outcomes of patients treated in intensive car...e units (ICUs), patient safety efforts, quality improvement efforts, and multidisciplinary teamwork and safety curriculum development. We're taking part in a study aimed at reducing hospital-acquired infections among cardiovascular surgery patients. Our investigators also participated in a clinical research collaboration that saw an 81 percent reduction in bloodstream infections related to central lines. view more

The Elizabeth Daugherty Lab conducts research on patient safety, critical care infection contro...l and critical care disaster response. We investigate methods of improving patient safety through improved infection control, with a focus on clinical outcomes, nosocomial infection rates and the individual and organizational obstacles to personal protective equipment adherence. view more

Researchers in the Henry Michtalik Lab are interested in patient safety—particularly as it rela...tes to patient census statistics and acute to primary care transitions—and quality improvement and systems management. view more

Research in the John Ulatowski Lab explores the regulatory mechanisms of oxygen delivery to the... brain and cerebral blood flow. Our work includes developing and applying new techniques and therapies for stroke as well as non-invasive techniques for monitoring brain function, fluid management and sedation in brain injury patients. We also examine the use of novel oxygen carriers in blood. We’ve recently begun exploring new methods for perioperative and periprocedural care that would help to optimize patient safety in the future. view more

The Jon Russell lab focuses on thyroid and parathyroid pathology as well as improving patient s...afety and education using healthcare technology. Additional focuses include utilizing new technology to advance on the techniques of minimally invasive neck surgery. Current and previous efforts include the development of mobile and web-based applications to educate physicians and patients, utilizing ultrasound for vocal cord imaging, understanding the nuances of advanced thyroid cancer, and exploring the role of scarless thyroid surgery in a North American population. view more

Research in the Michael A. Rosen Lab primarily focuses on patient safety and simulation-based h...ealth care training and technology. Recent work provided examples of how human factors experts can collaborate with health care professionals and simulationists (experts in the design and implementation of simulation) to use contemporary simulation to improve health care delivery. Another recent study examined the anesthesia practice at two tertiary care hospitals in Sierra Leone, West Africa, where anesthesia is associated with high mortality rates. We identified gaps in the application of internationally recommended anesthesia practices at both hospitals, likely caused by lack of available resources. view more

Work in the Nicole Shilkofski Lab aims to improve patient safety in critical care settings, wit...h a focus on resuscitation scenarios. Our research is conducted as part of the research group of the Johns Hopkins Medical Simulation Center. We investigate the communication and functionality of teams during medical crisis situations. As part of those efforts, we are designing a web-based curriculum to teach pediatric resuscitation through mannequin simulation and computer-based simulation techniques. view more

Research in the Rahul Koka Lab focuses on pediatric airways, patient safety and health disparit...ies. Recent studies have focused on the relationship between socioeconomic status and perioperative outcomes and patient safety factors related to interoperative cardiac arrests. We also performed effects analyses of the maintenance and repair of anesthetic equipment in various medical environments. view more

Research in the Sanjay Desai Lab focuses primarily on clinical outcomes in survivors of critica...l illnesses, such as acute lung injury. We also investigate techniques to improve graduate medical education and are conducting a clinical trial on the comparative effectiveness of models that optimize patient safety and resident education. Our research examines factors such as residency work-hour reform, hand hygiene practices and the use of etiquette-based communication. view more

Work in the Sean Berenholtz Lab focuses on patient safety, ICU care, quality health care and ev...idence-based medicine. Two notable and successful projects include the National On The Cusp: Stop BSI project, which was implemented in 47 states with the goal of eliminating bloodstream infections, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)-funded Keystone ICU project, which improved communication and teamwork and reduced hospital-acquired infections in more than 100 ICUs in Michigan. One recent study focused on ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), one of the most common type of health care-associated infections in the ICU. Existing VAP prevention intervention bundles vary widely on the interventions, but our research team described a structured approach for developing a new VAP prevention bundle. view more

The Sydney Dy Lab has conducted extensive research on quality of care, patient safety and decis...ion-making, with a focus on patients with cancer and other serious and terminal diseases. Our team seeks to improve health systems and services to optimize the use of technology and medication, particularly in end-of-life health care policy. Our research approach includes primary and quantitative data collection, quality measurement improvement, systematic literature reviews and analysis of secondary database. view more