Improving the quality of emergency care with a risk map

To describe the process of developing a risk map in a hospital emergency department.

A risk map was developed for the observation area of the emergency department of a secondary-level hospital belonging to the Regional Health Service of Andalusia. The work involved the systematic identification of potential problems, their prioritization, and the proposal of improvement measures, following a structured risk analysis methodology applied to patient safety.

A total of 25 main problems were identified. After prioritization, the following critical areas were highlighted: direct patient monitoring; medication safety during treatment administration; standardization of clinical procedures; continuity of care during night shifts; appropriate management of patient isolation; analysis of previous initiatives; and the implementation and auditing of new improvement proposals.

The use of structured tools aimed at patient safety, such as risk maps, is both feasible and useful for identifying improvement areas in emergency services. Their application allows problems to be prioritized, interventions to be targeted, and a systematic framework to be established for the continuous improvement of healthcare quality.