Understanding and Improving Current Risk Management Practices in Hospital Settings
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Abstract
A large number of patients in the healthcare industry have adverse events. Risk management has been implemented in hospitals to ensure patient safety. However, there is still a lot of room for improvement in current risk management practices. As a result, the purpose of this research is to better understand risk management practices in hospital settings and to make recommendations to improve them. While a questionnaire survey was created to understand current risk management applications, risk management literature was reviewed in order to comprehend and improve these risk management applications. The findings show that over 70% of practitioners and managers regard risk management as defining threats to patients, while only a minority agree on the ISO definition of risk. Furthermore, nearly half of practitioners and managers agree that risk assessment is more important than risk mitigation. To manage risks, participants mostly used Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), brainstorming, and risk matrix techniques. Based on the results of the questionnaire and the literature review, risk management practices could be advanced by emphasizing safety culture, staff involvement, safety training, risk reporting systems, and risk management tools.
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