MANAGEMENT OF CRISES AND RISKS IN GERMAN HOSPITALS - FACTORS INFLUENCING MEDICATION ERRORS
Author(s)
Draheim M1, Flessa S2, Glasberg R1, Hartmann M1, Schermuly C1, Stanchev V1, Tamm G1, Hessel FP1
1SRH University Berlin, Berlin, Germany, 2University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
OBJECTIVES In German hospitals there is a need for optimized crisis- and risk management. About one third of all hospital-acquired patient damages are due to medication errors. The aim of our interdisciplinary project “Risk Management in Hospitals” is to analyze the behavior of the various key players in the fields of medical care, human resources, supply and IT-systems in the context of various simulated risk scenarios as well as to develop adequate risk management tools. In this abstract, the first results on medication errors are presented. METHODS Through a network of experts, systematic literature searches and expert workshops, the five most relevant crises from different disciplines (medical, HR, supply and IT) were identified and specified. In a standardized survey among German hospital managers further data were collected on these crises, their management and influencing factors. The results on medication errors presented here are based on the survey data using a linear regression model. RESULTS The analysis was based on fully completed questionnaires by 97 German hospitals. 70% of the hospitals reported that crises due to medical errors occurred in the last 5 years, which could not be handled with established risk management tools. Although the crisis-appearance was lower in private hospitals (28%) compared to publicly funded (31%) and nonprofit (41%) hospitals, this difference was not significant. We recognized that a high frequency in the occurrence of medical errors was significantly associated with a lower evaluation of risk management issues (e.g. the presence of a staff member responsible for risk management, scenario analysis and crises trainings). CONCLUSIONS Our study confirms that German hospitals have to expand their targeted risk management activities in order to prevent the occurrence of hospital crises especially due to medical and medication errors. All survey results will be incorporated in a decision-making and benchmarking-tool for hospital managers to improve crisis management in German hospitals.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2014-11, ISPOR Europe 2014, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Value in Health, Vol. 17, No. 7 (November 2014)
Code
PHP133
Topic
Health Service Delivery & Process of Care
Topic Subcategory
Health Care Research, Hospital and Clinical Practices, Quality of Care Measurement
Disease
Multiple Diseases