Question

Hospitals face liability risks as the inpatient’s attending physician, covering physician, consultant, and co-manager. Two common problem areas are confusion regarding the hospitals personnel role in the patient care continuum and miscommunication during the different phases of inpatient care, especially during handoffs.

1. Remarks some tips that can help hospitals reduce their liability risks.

Answer 1

The tips that can help hospitals in reducing their liability risks are:

- reviewing the standards, policies and practices of the hospital through an audit. AN audit done by a thrid party can help in analysis of all the potential risks and the policies and pratices alignement to avoid them. This will include patient care, medical procedures, equipment verification, record maintanence etc. The audit team will review all procedures and practices, identify the risks associated with each and recommend correct ways to mitigate them

- Traning the mdecial staff for risk management. This will help spreading awareness and knowledge in all the staff to follow practices that can call for minimum risk of mal practices. Training cna help in making the staff famililar with the risk management measures and know the importance of compliance of these measures.

- keeping dosumentation up to date and in compliance with the policies. Many malpractice cases come up from poor documentation and record keeping. The patient can raise false claims if the case does not has records for prove. These roecrds can be maintained through documentation. Having written consent of the patient over his treatment procedure, having his deatils up to date and having all the treatment details penned down systematically is essnetial.

- maintaining personal relationships with pateints- not treating patients like mere customers and having a personal touch with them can help in solving issues amicably. Showing compassion and politeness during the treatment process and following up after the process for feedback can make the patient feel valued and not consider any error if made, a case of malpractice but see it with a considerate point of view.