Photo Credit: Flashvector
Given the litigious nature of today’s world, physicians must use data-driven insights to both enhance patient safety and reduce malpractice risk.
Given the litigious nature of today’s world, physicians must take extra precautions to minimize their risk of getting involved in a malpractice suit. Exponential rates of development concerning data analytics and AI enhance the healthcare industry’s ability to determine areas in which physicians might be most exposed to patients seeking legal action, thereby lowering the number of diagnostic errors and leading to patient-outcome improvements. According to Dana Siegal, vice president of risk management and analytics at Coverys, data-driven insights increase the likelihood of patient safety and reduce overall risks. When analyzing claims data and recognizing patterns, physicians raise their chances of spotting a possible issue and nipping it in the bud before it becomes a significant problem.
Siegal stresses the importance of understanding why unanticipated outcomes occur and examining them as they compare with broader clinical stories. For example, when considering surgical events, Siegal’s team might examine technical issues, decision-making procedures, or post-operative care. Siegal notes that a holistic take on data analysis, looking into elements like necessary operations and communication protocols, allows physicians to identify specific areas that are most prone to errors. Upon pinpointing these areas, doctors can implement targeted interventions and training programs to help prevent potential malpractice suits from occurring while simultaneously amplifying patient safety.
Meeting Healthcare Challenges
Today’s healthcare industry is still facing the aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic, coming up against staffing shortages, burnout, and a growing number of patients—all of which might lead physicians and healthcare staff to make errors. The popularity of telemedicine is another post-pandemic outcome, but Siegal notes that this mode of healthcare carries challenges regarding continuity of care and scrupulous documentation, leading to further potential errors. With demand for services rising above the available resources, Siegal expresses concern over how such situations might yield hurried consultations, fragmented documentation, and increased malpractice suits. Siegal suggests that healthcare organizations invest in tactics to support their physicians and administrative staff, like wellness programs and enhanced telehealth protocols, which will help to secure safe, effective patient care.
According to Siegal, safe and effective patient care also relies on reducing diagnostic errors, which heavily depends upon follow-ups and coordination of care. Not following up on test results or specialist referrals, notes Siegal, could have severely negative impacts, possibly detaining diagnoses and treatment. It is essential for physicians to effectively coordinate with other involved medical parties when handling everything from arranging patient treatments to tracking patient appointments to obtaining test results. Siegal recommends a team-based line of action that employs electronic health records (EHRs) to allow exchanging patient information to go off without a hitch and ultimately ensure the safety of patients.
Siegal urges healthcare organizations to have transparent communication policies and documentation procedures to ensure the safest possible patient outcomes. Siegal also stresses the importance of fostering a progressive mindset that identifies and addresses potential weaknesses in the system, encouraging continuous education on the importance of thorough documentation while protecting the psychological well-being of physicians and staff.
