NHS Trust Hospitals paid out more than £1bn to cover medical negligence claims in 2015. The growing bill for medical malpractice is a key issue for the global healthcare industry too, with the cost of payments running into the billions and expected to increase annually.
Identifying risks and working to develop processes and procedures that mitigate loss is a key role of healthcare management teams. Employing the right individuals and developing a culture of responsibility will allow you to develop a greater understanding of your organisation’s risk profile and implement appropriate measures to protect both patients and employees from the most common clinical, operational and technology related incidents.
Clinical Risks
These present the most obvious and potentially severe risks for patients, with outcomes that can include permanent injury requiring lifelong care, brain damage and ultimately death. Risk managers must focus on:
- Preventative care, diagnosis and treatment
- Medication and pain management
- Infection control
- High-risk areas within the clinical setting: Surgery, emergency, obstetrics and behavioural health
Operational Risks
Patient safety is not just related to medical treatment. It’s important to provide a safe environment for all patients within your facility. Operational and risk managers need to develop:
- Policies and procedures: Fast, effective and robust incident reporting, performance improvement plans and reduced scheduling and waiting times
- A safe environment of care: Fire safety, disaster and emergency planning
- Security awareness: CCTV, patient tracking, secure access and employee background checks
Technology
Privacy and data security is paramount when dealing with confidential patient medical records. With the growth in identity theft through hacking, and the legal implications of a data breach, organisations need to carefully manage:
- Electronic Health Records: Accuracy, confidentiality, user training and education
- Data privacy and security: Disclosure of sensitive data, data breach implications, identity theft
- Medical Device Cyber Security: Firewalls, virus and malware protection, best-practice IT security
Risk management is a critical issue for all sizes and types of healthcare facilities and must underpin the culture within your organisation and the treatments being delivered – everyone must be responsible for owning the risk.
By focusing on the key factors behind the core clinical, operational and technology risks healthcare organisations are facing, management teams will be able to work to reduce their liability and improve patient safety.
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Kevin Mcintosh, AVP – Head of International Medical Liability at CNA Hardy
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