Differences and Similarities Between Risk Management and Patient Safety

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Continuous quality care in the healthcare setting is critical. Risk management, patient safety, and full-disclosure programs play essential roles in quality care. Preventing medical errors, acknowledging the problem, and finding ways to resolve these issues are the program’s main goals. Implementing certain regulations can help decrease future errors and claims. “A successful risk management and full-disclosure program requires well-defined policies and procedures for responding to preventable adverse events, coupled with a dedication to transparency.” (Youngberg, 2011). With a proper system in place, these types of programs can run effectively and improve the quality of healthcare. A risk management program identifies the problem and determines the severity of a claim. “Risk management strategy begins with risk assessment.” (Youngberg, 2011). A risk manager’s job is to determine the risks or consequences that a case may have on the organization. Once that is determined, they must come up with a strategy to resolve the concern. “It’s about the organizational tactics to fix problems.” (Youngberg, 2011). The main focus of the risk management department is on the specific claim and investigation brought before the program’s committee. There are different types of risks involved within an organization. “Inherent risk, control risk, and residual risk are important concepts to understand when discussing ERM programs.” (Youngberg, 2011). A good risk management program is essential to an organization because it helps prevent legal and financial distresses. The American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) was developed to represent risk management and patient safety. Their mission is, “To advance patient safety, reduce ... ... middle of paper ... ...ts and their families from filing a malpractice suit. One of the key aspects to running a successful healthcare facility is continuous quality care. In essence, risk management, patient safety, and full-disclosure programs all play vital roles in quality care. Averting medical errors, recognizing problems, and finding ways to resolve these concerns are the organization’s objectives. A risk management program identifies the problem and determines the severity of a claim. In addition, patient safety creates the path for risk management to resolve any problems that might occur within an organization. Furthermore, full-disclosure programs communicate to patients and their family members when a medical error occurs. To summarize, with a proper system in place, these types of programs can ensure a facility operates effectively and improve the quality of healthcare.

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