Delineation of Risk Through the Exploration of a Culture of Safety in Community Home Health

Abstract

In one large Canadian healthcare region, there was no consistent way of identifying factors impacting safety and risk in community home healthcare. A participatory action research approach was employed to explore client safety risks in this environment. Staff identified a lack of adequate information as their primary safety concern. A novel chart review tool was developed to capture baseline information regarding client risks, including frequency, context and severity. Very little documentation regarding safety was identified in the reviewed charts. The most frequent risks identified were mobility, falls prevention and medication concerns, which is consistent with the literature.