Evidence-Based Risk Management

Architects have long determined that a better building is a safer building and that there are a number of design features that enhance patient safety as well as staff satsfaction. These features include such things as single patient rooms and ceiling mounted patient lifts.

Risk management can benefit from this approach by looking at patient incident reports and medical malpractice cases to learn what factors and behaviors that may have contributed to the incident. It is also very important to evaluate current policies and procedures to determine if they are sound and up-to-date, and, most inportantly, if they are actually followed at the site of care. Often, investigations of what actually took place reveal differences from policy and alert management that they have a problem.

While little good comes from a malpractice case, it can be used as an educational tool and prevent further incidents of a similar nature.