How to Prevent Risk in Hospital?
As
we all know healthcare is indeed very risky. Since it involves catering to the
health of an individual, the government imposes stringent regulations which
create immense liabilities and risks for the healthcare facility (in case
something goes wrong). Therefore every hospital and clinic needs to have a
healthcare risk management team to prevent a bad situation while ensuring
quality care for patients.
Here
are a few key areas that every healthcare facility needs to take care of to
reduce patient health risks:
1. Hire Reliable and Efficient Staff
– Care givers are the backbone of a healthcare facility and they are
responsible for the well-being of your patients. This means as a healthcare
provider, you need to conduct proper background checks for all your employees;
from attendants to doctors, to make sure that your patients are in safe hands.
Although this may seem to be a tedious process as this step goes a long way in
developing a secure environment for patients. Hospitals need to develop a
strong recruitment policy which makes it crucial to perform employee background
checks.
2. Verify Experience, License and
Conduct History – Health professionals like therapists,
nurses, dieticians and even physicians may get their license cancelled in case
of bad conduct with previous organizations. Therefore ensure that your staff
and even the vendors are in good terms with the government and have not had any
disciplinary actions taken against them in the past. It is pertinent that you have an action plan
to remove the employee or take necessary actions for misconduct within your
facility.
3. Include Regular Training Programs
for Employees – Laws, norms and regulations are
constantly updated in healthcare. And, since a hospital has several departments
and multiple shifts along with hiring new employees periodically, it is
important that you organize regular workshops and training programs for them.
Also including an orientation for the new hires will also be very helpful in
making them work according to the structure and way of your facility. The
training should majorly place importance on preventative measures to help all
your employees work uniformly in accordance to your organization’s procedures
and policies. Instead of organizing a new workshop for every new employee, you
can record these sessions for the reference of your present and future staff
and also for those who might have missed on a particular program. Risk
management in hospitals help develop the right preventive measures to minimize
potential risks.
4. Design Your Unique Set of Policies
and Procedures – Every organization needs to have a book
of rules so that employees know about your expectations from them. The
requirement varies for each facility and you need to devise yours based on your
beliefs and aims. It should contain the government policies along with your
hospital’s action plan to be followed against those who are being suspected of
a malpractice. The malpractices include theft, fraud, misconduct and substance
abuse. Each employee should be given a copy of this handbook and you also need
to obtain a signed form stating that they have accepted to work for your
facility in accordance to the regulations mentioned in the book.
Hiring
good healthcare consulting firms is a very efficient way to reduce and manage
risks at your healthcare facility. They can develop and implement a foolproof
risk management plan that can minimize health risks of your patients, thereby
reducing liability and financial risks.