Patient Risk Assessment

Risk management practices are important for anydecide on a new patient quality of care
organization, but in particular, health organizationsquestionnaire as part of its risk management
because of patient care carry a more significantprocess on patient exit. But because different
burden than other types of businesses. Patientareas have different quality indicators, this
risk assessment is therefore important inquestionnaire changes per department. To
identifying, assessing, analyzing and managingmanually accomplish this would be difficult, but
patient's risk while going through the healthcareelectronically quality indicators can be substituted
process. The use of informatics to assist with thisfor key phrases within the questionnaire thus
area of management has been extremely helpful.tailoring it according to needs. Instead of
Specifically, electronic patient risk assessmentstremendous hours of integration, informatics
help healthcare facilities communicate, integrate,allows this within minutes.
educate and implement key concepts involved inOther tools of an effective patient risk
promoting good quality patient care. Withoutassessment also include education and
information technology to assist with these areas,implementation. Education refers to both staff and
the challenges become time consuming and limitedpublic education to improve safety and quality of
in scope. However, having informatics helpcare. Information technology allows this as it does
organize and distribute this process greatlyin other areas of healthcare education by
enhances its effectiveness.facilitating online learning. Didactic sessions can be
Communication is a large part of patient riskavailable for anyone to view, and staff that is
assessments in healthcare. The goal ofrequired to participate in these sessions can be
communication is to create a culture that istracked to ensure compliance. This leads into
transparent, open and fair. It is also important toimplementation as problem areas defined within a
communicate a sense of leadership and supporthealthcare system need an easy means by which
to the staff within this open environment. Byto implement better solutions as they appear. The
having information technology provide a means ofability to change policy and procedure of patient
communication between management, staff andrisk assessment, and to distribute this to
the public, this open forum of transparency iswidespread public and private areas, is a clear
created. This is an effective tool in reducingadvantage of electronic information technologies.
patient risk as both problems and solutions areOverall, patient risk assessment is an integral part
more likely to come forth. Without informatics,to quality patient care. Manual efforts to invoke
this degree of communication would take muchthese tools have been helpful but are limited in
longer to accomplish in the forms of meetings,scope. This in turns limits the effectiveness
mailings, and announcements. Electronic forums onbecause of delays in changing policy and
the other hand distribute policies easily and provideprocedure and in communicating information to
a channel for anyone at anytime to strengthenstaff and public areas. By utilizing the abilities of
the patient risk assessment program.informatics to rapidly communicate, integrate,
Information technology also helps integrate patienteducate and implement new patient risk
risk assessment plans. Once policies are defined,assessment strategies, patient outcomes benefit
these can be integrating into each departmentmore quickly. Risk is therefore more efficiently
area to create uniformity. Communicating policyreduced and patient's quality of care is elevated.
and procedure is fine, but without integration intoInformation technology provides the best means
day to day operations, theory becomes wasted.to utilize patient risk assessments within
Informatics can easily transfer protocol data fromhealthcare to realize the goal of better patient
a general policy into a specific policy to makehealth.
integration simple. For example, a hospital may