What’s health risk management?

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Healthcare risk management is the practice of identifying and preventing potential hazards within a healthcare setting. It is practiced by all healthcare professionals in order to meet the requirements of both the law and liability insurance carriers. Thought by many to involve only those elements of patient care that could trigger allegations of medical malpractice against a practitioner, it actually encompasses the full range of services provided by a healthcare facility. In fact, most organizations either assign the risk management role to a senior officer or dedicate a position primarily to that function.

Risk in a healthcare facility is the possibility of any adverse event occurring anywhere in the facility for any person. For example, staff in a healthcare facility are just as at risk as patients, and in some cases their risk is greater. Patients, for example, have a relatively small risk of getting stuck with a used needle, but staff involved in the use and disposal of needles have a much greater risk of accidentally getting stuck with a contaminated needle. Health risk management identifies, assesses and manages all these risks and takes measures to prevent their occurrence. For example, affected personnel are trained on sharps or needle disposal procedures, and employees are trained on evacuation plans for fires and other disasters.

The first step in health risk management is to identify the potential risk. This can include a wide range of situations and events in a healthcare setting. For example, preventable errors that occur during the admissions process in a hospital can cause medical staff to rely on inaccurate information while caring for their patients. Unsanitary practices put patients at risk of infection and can lead to bacterial, insect and rodent infestations. Additionally, issues such as fire safety and fall prevention are just as important in a healthcare facility as they are in any other setting, but can be inadvertently overlooked due to the more obvious health care related risks.

Once the potential risk has been identified, it needs to be assessed. While risk assessment can be a complex process, it essentially consists of determining the likelihood of a given risk occurring and its impact on the facility. For example, the potential for fires in modern healthcare facilities is relatively low, but the potential losses – especially loss of life – are so great that most facilities install expensive fire control stations to assist firefighting personnel in the event of a fire. fire. Similarly, a risk manager will work closely with the HR department to ensure that staff are properly credentialed and supervised. In both examples, the cost of preventing the risk pales in comparison to the cost of risking it occurring, whether in the event of a fire or hiring staff unfit to work in a healthcare facility.

Healthcare settings, from small family practices to large clinics and hospitals, need to be diligent in the practice of healthcare risk management. Some practices, such as installing expensive fire control stations, are mandated by law. Others are required by insurance carriers and some have been developed by the facility’s risk management team. Part of an integrated approach to patient care, risk management is recognized as a crucial element of modern healthcare.

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