Introduction to quality assurance

In health care facilities, risk management programs are viewed as one of the most important management strategies. In fact risk management programs have been an integral part of the health care management strategy since the very beginning. On the other hand risk assessment programs are a relatively new concept. In the recent years there has been a stress on the information security laws and industry compliancy, which has resulted in a rise of risk assessment programs in various sectors, including the health care sector. Risk management program is like a tree while risk assessment program is one of its branches. It has been rightly stated that “Risk assessment is a common first step in a risk management process.” (Wikipedia, para.1) A risk management program aims to accurately identify the risk areas, identifying those risk handling options that are most suitable for bringing a crisis situation in control, keeping pace of the changing risks so that a crisis situation is managed well and achieving total success in combating the crisis. “The goal of risk management is to systematically:

·         Integrate concerns for risk into an organization’s daily decision making and implementation process;

·         Recognize resource allocation implications; and

·         Understand the opportunity cost or trade-off(s) with any decision. (Army Business Transformation Knowledge Center, para.3)

The goals achieved by the risk assessment programs contribute to the overall goal achievement of the risk management program. Since risk assessment programs have an identity of their own they have a specific goal that differs from the overall goal of the risk management programs. Though there is not exactly a major conflict between the goals of these two programs, as one is a part of another, the differences are clearly evident. Risk assessment programs have a simple goal and that is to keep the various diseases at bay by making the patients as well as the staff of the healthcare facilities aware of the ways in which they can lead a healthier life. The degree of complexity of the goal of this program is lesser than the degree of complexity of the goals of the risk management program.

If the goal of the risk assessment program is not achieved, it is not possible to achieve the goal of the risk management program. However the goal of risk assessment program does not have to face such obligations. The success of the risk management program is dependent on it but not vice versa.

In most of the healthcare facilities no matter how these two programs are structured, the primary aim of both the programs is to protect the human health. From the angle of the risk management program there is not any conflict rather interdependency on the goals of the risk assessment program. On the other hand from the angle of the risk assessment program more than conflict its goal plays an important contributory role in achievement of the risk management programs. Since one’s goals are not hampering the achievement of the other’s goals there is no chance of any conflict situation.

To conclude “Functional separation of risk management and risk assessment serves to ensure the scientific integrity of the risk assessment process and reduce any conflict of interest between risk assessment and risk management.” (FAO Corporate Document Repository, para.10) If the risk managers and risk assessors work systematically, then a clear demarcation between both these activities can be properly utilized to achieve their separate yet common and interdependent goals.

References

Army Business Transformation Knowledge Center (2008). Retrieved May 28, 2007 from

     http://www.army.mil/ArmyBTKC/enablers/rm/index.htm

FAO Corporate Document Repository (2008). Retrieved May 30, 2007 from

     http://www.fao.org/docrep/W4982E/w4982e08.htm

Wikipedia (2008) Risk assessment. Retrieved May 30, 2007 from

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk_assessment