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Healthcare Management vocabulary · Patient Safety and Risk

Risk assessment

Meaning in healthcare management, with examples

nounCommon term

In healthcare management, risk assessment means: A careful look at what could cause harm in a task, place or situation, how likely and serious that harm is, and what controls are needed to reduce it.

In Turkish: risk değerlendirmesi

How it is used

Done for patients (falls, pressure ulcers), for staff (manual handling, violence) and for the organisation as a whole. Managers carry out, complete and review risk assessments and record the main risks in a risk register that the board monitors.

Example sentences

  1. Every patient over 65 should have a falls risk assessment within six hours of admission.

  2. We need a new risk assessment before the ward moves into the temporary building.

Common collocations

  • carry out a risk assessment
  • falls risk assessment
  • risk register
  • review a risk assessment
  • patient safetyThe prevention of avoidable harm to patients during care, through safe systems, clear procedures and a culture of learning from mistakes.
  • clinical governanceThe system through which a healthcare organisation is held responsible for improving the quality of its services and keeping high standards of care.
  • incident reportA written record of an event that harmed, or could have harmed, a patient, visitor or member of staff, sent so that it can be investigated and learned from.
  • safety cultureThe shared attitudes, beliefs and habits in an organisation that decide how openly people report errors, speak up about risks and learn from mistakes.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Patient Safety and Risk

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.