Clinical Risk Management and Patient Safety - MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Clinical Risk Management and Patient Safety. Answer: Introduction: Risk management is the culture, procedure and structure that organization use to maintain risks while at the same time realizing any hidden opportunities (AS/NZ 4360:2004). The goal of risk management in the nursing work environment is to ensure that there is a safe environment for all the staff, patients and visitors. This paper will discuss how an organization can detect risks in the work place, the responsibilities of staff in the face of any risk or crisis, and how the identified risk can be managed. From Table 1, it is important to notice that Communication and feedback and Monitoring and reviewing happen at each stage of the risk management process. The first step is to establish a context under which a risk might occur, then identify the probable risk analyse the risk to know its probability of happening, Evaluate the risk to determine if it is about or if it has happened and lastly treating the risk. It is important that all people working in the health centre are actively involved in the management risk process. The following are their responsibilities toward risk management (Johnstone 2007). Identifying and assessing risk in line with the management policies and procedures Documenting any information about the risk, and Including the risk management process illustrated above in their daily work. Line managers in a health facility will have the following responsibilities towards mitigating and managing risks Reviewing and updating the risk profile of the health facility Making sure that risks are identified, managed and monitored in real time under their departments. They should ensure that the above process has been followed in mitigating the risk, Supervising the risk management process to ensure that the risk management techniques are coherently and consistently used by those people reporting the risks, Ensuring that risk management is made a regular agenda for most team meetings, Ensuring the junior staff accurately and promptly document risks. This will make it easier to report risk management The management should ensure that risk management is embedded in the day to day running of the health facility. Dealing with Incidents Incidents are the most common risks that can be found within a health facility setting. According to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare ACSQHC, (2006), an incident is an event or circumstance that might lead or that lead to unintended or unnecessary harm to a patient. Incidents can be grouped into adverse events, Near misses, sentinel events and hazards. An adverse event is an incident in which a patient is harmed, a near miss is an incident that has the potential of causing harm to the patient but did not due to certain factors such as intervention, chance or luck, and sentinel events are those events which are independent of the patients condition. These can happen due to poor processes in the hospital setting that might lead to unintended outcomes (ACQHC, 2006). When any staff working in the health centre (either Clinical, OHS and non-clinical) identifies an event, the first step should be trying to maintain the situation while at the same time calling the management to report the incident (Kingstone et al, 2004). The incident should be reported by entering its details to the provided incident reporting system as soon as it is practical to do so. The staff should also inform their line manager about the incident or hazard. Once the incident report has been submitted, it will be forwarded to the manager nominated by the person reporting the incident. They can be Heads of Departments or Nursing Units managers. The managers will then ensure that the following have been done (Kingstone et al, 2004) That the incident has been reviewed in not more than three working days after submission (will depend on the type of incident and severity of the incident). Where support is required, provide it. The manager will tell if there is any need for support by debriefing the staff involved in the incident and asking for clarifications. Where the incident involves a patient, ensure that the patients family is informed of the incident and appropriate treatment given. Where support is required, they should provide it. Finally the manager should make sure that the risk was recorded under the correct department and appropriate measures taken. Common incidents that Clinical, Nurses. OH S should always look out for The following are the most common incidents. These incidents can easily translate to risk and it is important that the staff always looks out for them. Wrong dosage given to a patient, Patients skipping dosages A patient receiving the wrong treatment. An example would be where the correct procedure was not followed Injury to any person in the health facility Poor functioning machines. Intravascular gas embolism that results to a serious damage to the neurology or even death ABO incompatibility making a blood transfusion to become Haemolytic After an operation, surgical materials are retained calling the need for a reoperation Risk Management is an integral part of any health facility. Without a risk management plan, the health centre might lose direction or open itself to more risks and threats once an unforeseen circumstance hits it. References Australian Commission On Quality And Quality in Health Care, (2006). Retrieved on 30th September 2017 , https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au Australian New Zealand Risk Management Standards 4360 (2004). Retrieved on 30th September 2017 https://det.wa.edu.au/policies/detcms/policy-planning-and-accountability/policies-framework/web-references/australian-new-zealand-risk-management-standard-as-nzs-43602004and-risk-management-guidelines-hb-4362004.en Johnstone, M. J., Kanitsaki, O. (2007). Clinical risk management and patient safety education for nurses: a critique.Nurse education today,27(3), 185-191. Kingston, M. J., Evans, S. M., Smith, B. J., Berry, J. G. (2004). Attitudes of doctors and nurses towards incident reporting: a qualitative analysis.Medical Journal of Australia,181(1), 36-39. Tomey, A. M. (2009). Nursing management and leadership.Elsevier, Missouri.