Every parent’s worst fear is delivering a baby with a problem. When it does occur, it is not uncommon for a parent to want to place blame. However, those of us who work in health care know that when things go wrong in obstetrics, often there is no single factor, act or omission, which led to the injury.
It is important for hospitals and health systems to evaluate their own obstetrical risks. An analysis of malpractice claims data, adverse events (AE), and proactive evaluation of high risk processes will assist the organization to develop targeted interventions that could dramatically reduce medical error and minimize financial loss. But national data shows that there is less than one malpractice case per 1000 births. Given that birth injuries are (fortunately) relatively rare events, how do you identify your risk? Conducting proactive risk assessments, adopting best practice guidelines, sharing and debriefing on sentinel events occurring within and outside your organization, and of course, reviewing national data is certainly a good place to start.
Data is how we discover our risk and motivates us to develop proactive, innovative risk management strategies. For your hospital or medical facility, OB risk mitigation might include implementing an electronic fetal monitoring bundle requiring credentialing in fetal monitor strip interpretation for physicians and nurses to help improve management of category II fetal heart tracings or resolution of signal ambiguity. Perhaps it includes interventions such as critical events or simulations training to help staff perfect the communication and technical skills needed to optimize situational awareness and ensure a swift and coordinated response to obstetrical emergencies. Data is how we discover risk, education and team training, is often the way to reduce it. Sustained improvement becomes possible when we agree to work together to fix what’s broken.
Innovative risk management strategies are born from effective use of malpractice data. Data can help reveal vulnerabilities and develop trends in liability and risk, and holds the key to risk reduction, strategies, and solutions.
Author Ann Whitehead, RN, JD, is Vice President Risk Management & Patient Safety at the Cooperative of American Physicians, Inc. (CAP) in its CAPAssurance, A Risk Purchasing Group, program that offers hospitals, large medical groups, and other health care facilities access to top-rated liability protection and risk management services.
If you have questions about this article, please contact us. This information should not be considered legal advice applicable to a specific situation. Legal guidance for individual matters should be obtained from a retained attorney.