Content Description

Risk—a simple concept defined as the potential to cause harm—is an ongoing issue for health care organizations. Health care organizations are in the business of serving people; however, there is more to the care, treatment, and services of individuals than the clinical aspects. The physical health care facility—also known as the environment of care—is equally important because maintaining the environment creates a safe and secure atmosphere for staff to carry out their job functions, including providing quality care, treatment, and services to individuals. To manage risk, an organization must first identify and assess the risk. A risk assessment should accomplish the following: Determine the potential negative consequences (risks) of an action or situation Evaluate the extent of those risks Decide whether to accept, mediate, or avoid those risks The 4th edition of Environment of Care® Risk Assessment focuses on the proactive examination of functions and processes in the physical environment to assess actual and potential risks so that they may be prioritized to identify improvement opportunities. Although The Joint Commission is not prescriptive about how risks assessments are performed, this edition addresses the physical environment–related risk assessments, described in the “Environment of Care” (EC) chapter of the Comprehensive Accreditation Manual and its E-dition® counterpart, as well as in the “National Patient Safety Goal” (NPSG) and “Life Safety” (LS) chapters. The Joint Commission requires organizations in all health care settings to manage risks in the following functional areas: Safety Security Hazardous materials and waste Fire safety Medical equipment Utility systems This book is designed to help health care organizations of all types and settings develop and implement a comprehensive EC management program that includes risk assessment. To this end, the book suggests ways to design and implement a proactive risk assessment process and conduct effective risk assessments that address the various components of the environment of care, as well as tools to support the risk assessment process. Key Topics: Risks inherent to each area of the environment of care, including safety, hazardous materials and waste, security, fire and life safety, medical equipment, utilities, and construction Changes related to the adoption of the 2012 Life Safety Code® in Joint Commission standards Information about the SAFER® Matrix and its role in risk assessment The Statement of Conditions™, which now applies to all areas of the environment of care Best practices for maintaining a safe environment Key Features: More than 40 customizable tools, including checklists and worksheets Real-world risk-assessment scenarios in a variety of health care settings Infographics that visualize key ideas and facilitate understanding of core concepts Excerpts from articles originally published in Environment of Care® News that provide additional insight Setting: All health care settings that manage environment of care Audience: This book is meant for any staff who participates in the multidisciplinary physical environment risk assessment activities, including, but not limited to, safety officers, facilities managers, risk managers, security managers, emergency management leaders, clinical engineers, nurses, pharmacists, infection control personnel, and organization leaders.

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About Joint Commission

The mission of The Joint Commission is to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. Its vision is that all people always experience the safest, highest quality, best-value health care across all settings.