Topic 6

Understanding and managing clinical risk

Why clinical risk is relevant to patient safety

o clinical risk management specifically is concerned with improving the quality and safety of health-care services by identifying the circumstances and opportunities that put patients at risk of harm and acting to prevent or control those risks

4-step process to manage clinical risks

o identify the risko assess the frequency and severity of

the risko reduce or eliminate the risko cost the risk

Learning objective

Know how to apply risk management principles by identifying, assessing and reporting hazards and potential risks in the workplace

Knowledge requirements

o the activities used for gathering information about risk

o fitness to practise requirementso personal accountability for managing clinical

risk

Performance requirements

o know how to report known risks or hazards in the workplace

o keep accurate and complete medical recordso self-assess to reduce the risk of errors caused by

inadequate knowledge and skills o participate in meetings that discuss risk management

and patient safetyo respond appropriately to patients and families after

an adverse evento respond appropriately to complaints

Clinical risk management activities

o incident monitoringo sentinel eventso the role of complaints in improving careo complaints and concerns where the individual

is responsibleo coronial Investigations

Sentinel events

o unexpected occurrence involving death or serious physical or psychological injury and includes any process variation for which a recurrence would carry a significant chance of serious adverse outcome

JCAHO, 1999

Complaints

o assist in maintaining standardso reduce the frequency of litigationo help maintain trust in the professiono encourage self-assessmento protect the public

Fitness to practise requirements

o credentiallingo accreditation

o registration

Professional development and self-assessment

o role of fatigue and fitness to practiseo stress and mental health problemso work environment and organization o supervisiono communication

Performance requirementso know how to report known risks or hazards in the

workplaceo keep accurate and complete medical recordso self-assess to reduce the risk of errors caused by

inadequate knowledge and skills o participate in meetings that discuss risk management

and patient safetyo respond appropriately to patients and families after

an adverse evento respond appropriately to complaints