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Improving Patient Safety & Quality Outcomes with IRM Technology

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By Origami Risk

 

A dedicated focus on reducing preventable harm and improving patient safety outcomes is essential to fulfilling the mission of caring for the health and well-being of the communities served by hospitals and healthcare organizations. However, the increased complexity of healthcare systems, struggles managing and analyzing vast amounts of data, increasing workloads and burnout, and changing regulations and requirements — to name just a few — are bringing interconnected challenges to the forefront for healthcare organizations.

Given this reality, proactive risk management, patient safety, and quality management professionals are increasingly looking to take a more comprehensive and holistic approach to their patient safety and quality management programs. As highlighted in the 2023 Origami Risk webinar “An Integrated Approach to Healthcare Safety, Risk, and Compliance Management,” integrated risk management (IRM) — which includes cross-departmental communication protocols and standardized reporting structures — can help facilitate the coordination of efforts of people from multiple departments as they work to deliver a unified organizational response to interconnected risks.

Multiple Technology Systems Exacerbate Problems

Unfortunately, the technology solutions used to support such initiatives contribute to the problem of incomplete, inaccurate, and inaccessible data — the very data that risk, patient safety, and quality professionals need to strategically plan, improve, measure, and inform.

The issue is that many healthcare organizations continue to depend on multiple systems that exacerbate issues of consolidation and coordination by adding to the challenges of efficiently collecting and accurately analyzing data that could be used to drive real, continuous change. Furthermore, a mix of systems makes for potential conflicts that add to administrative challenges and fortify workplace silos. Without the sharing of information and the coordination of efforts, organizations often struggle to effectively manage strategies that contribute to preventing medical errors and improving patient safety. Healthcare IRM technology systems can help solve these problems.

IRM Technology Brings Patient Safety and Performance Improvement Together

IRM technology can play a crucial role in empowering healthcare professionals, streamlining reporting processes, and ultimately fostering a culture of safety and continuous performance improvement.

“Healthcare Risk Management Technology Supports Patient Safety Culture” outlines how risk management technology can be used to lower barriers to reporting and foster a positive safety culture in which frontline workers feel comfortable speaking up. Specifically, IRM technology aids this by:

  • Offering user-friendly reporting tools with features like contingent questions and drop-down menus.
  • Enabling both anonymous and named reporting to cater to organizational and/or individual preferences.
  • Providing mobile and online reporting options for convenience and immediate capture of incident details.
  • Automating notifications and updates to keep staff informed and show the value of their contributions.
  • Integrating data analysis tools to identify trends, understand root causes, and demonstrate the impact of reported events on improving patient safety.

The benefits of implementing IRM technology don’t stop there. With the right technology system, hospitals and healthcare organizations also stand to gain from the use of configurable tools that contribute to process improvements. The following are just a few examples of such tools available in a system such as Origami Risk:

Peer Review tools optimize peer review processes with guided workflows tailored to role and specialty for complete management of peer review cases while also improving productivity through simplified processes and automated notifications.

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) tools facilitate processes that help teams more fully and accurately understand causes contributing to an effect and identify areas for improvement. This includes tracking progress through dashboard reports, utilizing workflow notifications for timely actions, and the communication of results. Additionally, these tools assist with documenting contributing factors and event timelines, monitoring corrective action implementation progress, and automating the creation of a Fishbone Diagram — measures that enhance the incident resolution process and help drive effective communication across teams.

Healthcare Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (HFMEA) tools assist teams in proactively identifying potential failures in processes and systems, analyzing their potential effects and severity, and implementing preventive measures to mitigate risks before they lead to adverse events.

Finding the Right Solution

While healthcare organizations may use similar best practices, frameworks, and methodologies, no two approaches will be the same. Likewise, the right healthcare risk management solution must be the right fit for each healthcare organization looking to change its patient safety culture and drive continuous process improvements. It must also be configurable enough to match existing processes and capable of handling future needs. To learn about the integrated healthcare risk management solutions available from Origami Risk, visit https://www.origamirisk.com/products/healthcare-risk-safety-platform