40 - Risk management (emergency obstetric and intrapartum care)

Summary

This chapter discusses the aspects of risk management in emergency obstetric and intrapartum care. Obstetric emergencies can result in maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Risk management is the concern of every clinician working in the maternity department. Individuals have a responsibility to participate and embrace the risk management process. There are four steps in the risk-management process: identification of risk event; analysis of risk event; treatment of risk events and measures to control risk events. Risks may be identified prospectively such as those highlighted as a result of a fire drill or as a result of a staff risk workshop. These also benefit from a structured tool to analyse them further. One such tool is Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA). It is vital to the risk management process that lessons are learned from an adverse outcome to prevent recurrence.