discussion

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Melis

Risk management is a vital part of any healthcare setting, typically in a healthcare setting, there is a position dedicated to risk management practices. Effective risk management includes identifying areas where various types of risks may occur and identifying what outcomes may occur. If needed plans will be put into action - in my facility we call it a plan of action. When an item is deemed high risk - either something that could affect patient safety or noncompliant with federal and state regulations - a plan is put together with steps outlined to minimize the risk. Identifying risks comes from “near misses & good catches” (Catalyst), these are things that occur over the course of a workday that could have resulted in some kind of negative impact. Risk management professionals will use this information to decide if action needs to be taken. A common example of this is needlestick injuries. There are safety devices that can be implemented to limit the number of needlestick injuries within the healthcare setting. So if there are a few reports of near misses - meaning it almost happened - where a staff member may have sustained a needlestick injury, then the management team should implement some of these safety devices to limit that risk - this is also in compliance with OSHA (federal regulations). An example that I have come across was the placement of a paper towel machine, it was across the bathroom. Meaning patients are walking across the bathroom to get paper tows dripping water that they could potentially slip on - RISK!! So to eliminate this I worked with our facilities director to move all the paper towel holders by the sink. In addition, risk management has a lot to do with federal and state regulations, which outline acceptable and unacceptable actions. So risk management professionals have to understand these guidelines and apply them to their healthcare setting. There is a legal risk for noncompliance, as well as a safety risk. The idea around risk management is that you are making the setting a safer place for patients and staff and ensuring compliance with regulations. 

Catalyst, N. E. J. M. (n.d.). What is risk management in healthcare? NEJM Catalyst. Retrieved from https://catalyst.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/CAT.18.0197 

Healthcare executives' role in emergency management. American College of Healthcare Executives. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ache.org/about-ache/our-story/our-commitments/policy-statements/healthcare-executives-role-in-emergency-management

Lisa

· Risk Management: Risk management in healthcare includes both the clinical and administrative systems and their processes and reports which are used to detect, monitor, assess, mitigate, and prevent risks. By utilizing risk management, healthcare organizations proactively and systematically safeguard patient safety as well as the organization's assets, market share, accreditation, reimbursement levels, brand value, and community standing (Catalyst, 2018).

· Terms-The American College of Healthcare Executives believes healthcare executives should actively participate in disaster planning and preparedness activities. In doing so they ensure their emergency operations plan fits within the overall community plans and anticipates the approach to risks an organization might face (Catalyst, 2018).

To be prepared management needs to:

· Maintain a Relevant/Current Emergency/Disaster Plan- Using the National Response Framework and Hospital Preparedness Program

· Address the Safety of Staff/Patients/Families

· Focus the Plan to Address the Most Likely Scenarios

· Develop an Incident Command System

· Assess Resource Availability

· Plan for Continuity of Operations

· Develop Protocols to Ensure Appropriate Resource Allocation

· Design Appropriate Communication and Coordination Protocols for Both Internal and External Audiences

· Enhance Disease Surveillance and Reporting

· Planning -Managers acknowledge that anticipating uncertainty is challenging to recognize. By using data and industry knowledge, and including all stakeholders, healthcare risk managers can uncover threats and potentially compensatory events that otherwise would be hard to guess (Healthcare executives' role in emergency management. 2020). This is where reporting comes in handy so that we can learn from mistakes.

· Patient safety - When mistakes or adverse events are avoided due to luck or intervention, "near misses" and "good catches" occur. These are often the best way to identify and prevent risk. Healthcare providers should develop a culture that encourages reporting so that prevention measures and best practices can be instituted (Healthcare executives' role in emergency management. 2020).

· Regulations.- Regulatory bodies, such as The Joint Commission, Federal, state, and other oversight bodies mandate reporting of certain types of incidents including sentinel events, medication errors, and medical device malfunctions. Incidents such as wrong-site or patient surgery, workplace injuries, and medication errors need to be documented and reported (Healthcare executives' role in emergency management. 2020).

Resources

Catalyst, N. E. J. M. (2018). What is risk management in healthcare? NEJM Catalyst. Retrieved April 22, 2022, from  https://catalyst.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/CAT.18.0197  

Healthcare executives' role in emergency management. American College of Healthcare Executives. (n.d.). Retrieved April 22, 2022, from  https://www.ache.org/about-ache/our-story/our-commitments/policy-statements/healthcare-executives-role-in-emergency-management