Part A: Risk Management Tools
Based on your learning this week, complete the table below by identifying 3 to 5 risk management tools used to make management decisions. Be sure to describe each tool and how it’s use can help with decision-making.
| Risk Management Tool | Describe how the tool is used. |
| Five Why’s | The Five Whys method attempts to get to the bottom of a problem by first recognizing the problem and then inquiring why at least five times. Each “why” uncovers an underlying issue that will allow the user to delve more into and get nearer to the “actual” issue that requires to be tackled. |
| Root cause analysis | Root cause analysis is frequently utilized after an issue has already arisen. It focuses on addressing causative factors instead of symptoms. |
| Fishbone diagram | The fishbone diagram, also known as a cause and impact diagram, is utilized throughout the brainstorming procedure to assist in recognizing prospective causative factors of an issue by categorizing opinions. |
| Flow chart | A flow chart is a pictorial resource utilized to recognize where a procedure interruption may be arising so that the issue can be settled. |
Part B: Risk Management Decisions
Review the following scenarios. Write a 75- to 175-word response to each of the following questions based on the scenarios presented. Be clear and concise, use complete sentences, and use your own words. Follow standard grammar rules and provide examples where appropriate to support your answers.
Scenario 1
A patient arrives at the emergency department and is admitted for increased pain with the source unknown. The on-call physician asks the intake staff, “What is the source of payment for the patient?” in order to assist with his decision to see the patient or not. The physician then declines to see the patient based on the insurance status.
What is the risk management issue presented in the scenario?
In this situation, the managerial risk concern is that the practitioner fully breached the Emergency Medical and Treatment Labor Act (EMTLA) of 1986. This legislation makes it illegal for medical care practitioners to refuse emergency clinical treatment to anyone predicated on their insurance status. The EMTLA also prohibits practitioners from unreasonably transferring a client out of their treatment or from discontinuing treatment that is already underway (Zibulewsky, 2001). As a result, since this client has entered the ED and been categorized, they cannot be turned away since treatment has been introduced; there is no rationale to move the patient to another location; and, regardless of their health coverage standing, they have the same entitlement to be attended and handled as anyone else.
What do you propose to resolve the issues? Explain your answer.
Firstly, the client would have had to document litigation, or one of
the employees would have disclosed it. At that point, the ideal option would have to be practitioner discipline in the form of suspension, followed by advanced training for all practitioners regarding the significance of obeying the regulations and handling sufferers equitably. In addition, all employees must be educated on existing policies.
What challenges do you foresee with the proposed solutions?
The health facility administration may object to how scenarios like these should be managed. There is also the problem of some individuals failing to take risk monitoring seriously enough to acknowledge that when infringements like these occur, they have an accountability to disclose it. The only problem with practitioner education is that they are not actively paying attention, which relates to the preceding point.
Scenario 2
A patient is admitted to the medical floor in a health care facility. She is confused and won’t stay in her bed. The patient is placed in a room at the end of the hall away from the nurse’s station, and she is not easily seen by staff. The patient continues to get out of bed without using her call light and eventually falls, resulting in an injury.
What is the risk management issue presented in the scenario?
In this situation, the risk management concern is associated with client safety. The nursing practitioner was cognizant of the client’s situation and the fact that she was not remaining in her bed. They would have either relocated the client to a chamber nearer to the practitioner’s station or designated an assistance to support the client. There is no rationale why that client would have been left unattended for long enough to fall and harm herself.
What do you propose to resolve the issues? Explain your answer.
The best way to deal with this situation is to enlighten the personnel. Even though the personnel answerable for the client’s injury issues should understand what they did incorrectly, it is critical that they receive additional coaching so that it does not occur afterward. Secondly, there must be practices in place to safeguard clients in this manner. Perhaps more assistance should be hired to offer the assistance the practitioners require, or the rooms should be outfitted with monitoring devices that can be utilized when a client, such as this one, is befuddled and unresponsive.
What challenges do you foresee with the proposed solutions?
The cost of the suggested alternatives is a significant problem. It is critical to pay close interest to whether or not any of these items are included in the spending plan. Employing remedies like these may end up costing the organization more than it saves. Furthermore, the monitoring devices could be an infringement of the client’s confidentiality or be utilized improperly by other personnel members. It would not be advantageous or prudent to incorporate an alternative that could expose the institution to additional risks.
Reference
Joseph Zibulewsky. (2001). The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA): What it is and what it means for physicians. PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1305897/
Leave a Reply