2. Assessing Risk
• Travel to conference
• What are the risks
• How did you manage those risks
• What would increase or decrease those risks
• Who else is affected by the risks you take
• Can you separate internal and external factors
4. Plan
Building Blocks and Ideas
• Definitions
• Risk Assessment
• Principles
• Tools
• Practical risk management
• Context
• Legal
• Practical
• Managing Outcome
• Case studies
Learning Outcomes
• Understand concept of risk in
the context of advanced MS
• Understand how to assess risk
and enable PwMS and/or
relatives and professionals to
assess risk
• Understand how to manage risk
to facilitate a positive outcome
5. Advanced MS
• Spastic Tetraparesis
• Neurogenic bladder
• Neurogenic bowel
• Dysphagia
• Dysarthria
• Fatigue
• Cognitive deficit
• Pressure area
risk/pressure sore
• Epilepsy
• Frequent UTI
• Aspiration pneumonia
• PEG
• Family stress
• Care package
• Multiple professionals
• Coordination of care
6. Risk definition
• a situation involving exposure to danger.
• someone or something that creates or suggests a
hazard
• the possibility of something bad happening
• the potential of gaining or losing something of
value
7. Risk Assessment
“A risk assessment can only identify the probability
of harm, assess the impact of it on key individuals,
and pose intervention strategies which may
diminish the risk or reduce the harm. Assessments
cannot prevent risk”
Hope and Sparks, 2000
12. Risk
Mental Capacity
Legal Framework
Quality of Life
Goal engagement
Goal dis-engagement
Managing risk
Accountability
Documentation
Independence
Hope
Conflict
Choice Safety
Freedom
Multi-agency
Cost
Availability of resources
Concept vs reality
Realistic Medicine
13. Principles of risk assessment
• Identify context
• Identify risks
• Perceived by individual
• Perceived by professional
• Analyse risks
• High probability; low impact
• Low probability; high impact
Compromise
Uncertainty
14. Principles of risk assessment
• Evaluate risk
• Potential benefits of managing risk
• Potential adverse outcome of managing risk
• Potential risk of not intervening
• Management/Action taken or recommended
DOCUMENTATION
16. Resources
• Mental capacity Act / Adults with Incapacity Act
Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000
Incapacity means incapable of
Acting on decisions; or
Making decisions; or
Communicating decisions; or
Understanding decisions; or
Retaining memory of decisions
In relation to any particular matter due to mental disorder
or physical inability to communicate because of physical
disability
17. Adult Support and Protection
(Scotland) Act 2007
An adult at risk is
Unable to safeguard
his/her own wellbeing,
property, interests
At risk of harm
Because s/he is affected
by disability, mental
disorder, illness, mental
or physical infirmity is
more vulnerable to being
harmed than an adult not
so affected
• Recognise
• Respond, ensure safety
• Report
• Record
• Reflect
18. Risk of medication
• BNF
• Specific risks of disease modifying drugs
• Experienced colleagues
19. Driving
Assessing fitness to drive: a guide for medical
professionals
Published:11 March 2016
• https://www.gov.uk/guidance/assessing-fitness-to-
drive-a-guide-for-medical-professionals
20. Falls
If you have had a fall in the last 12 months or answered Yes to two or more questions in the test then
you are advised to discuss your risk of falls with your GP. If they feel that you are at risk of falling they
may refer you to specialist falls services.
FALL RISK TEST
• Have you had a fall in the last 12 months? Yes / No
• Are you on four or more medications a day? Yes / No
• Do you have Parkinson's disease or have you had a stroke? Yes / No
• Do you feel unsteady or have problems with balance? Yes / No
• Can you walk while talking?
• Do you sway significantly while standing?
• The 'Timed Up and Go' test:
• Do you struggle to get up from a chair? Yes / No
For more fall prevention tips download Get Up and Go: A Guide to Staying
Steady (PDF, 2.65MB).
21.
22. Marriage breakdown
Reduced strength in
hands
Urinary tract
infection
Personality
Genetic
Psychiatric
Male
Cognitive flexibility
Mental health treatment
Meaningful relationships
Plan next 2 days
Liaise with other hcp
Note informal
support
Specialist support –
crisis teams
Build protective
factors
Ensure access to
help
Risk
Short term + long
term factors –
protective factors
= risk
23. Risks for patient
Risks for carer
Risk for family
Goals for patient
Goals for family
Goals for professionals
Goal engagement and
disengagement
Hope and hopelessness
CASE EXAMPLE
26. Activity or
Context
Risk or
Hazard
Contributing
Factors
Impact and
Probability
Action Impact
and
Prob
Living in own
home
Choking MS
Fatigue
Saliva
Impact – high
Prob - medium
PEG
Swallow
Saliva reduction
Care package
Independent
Decision
Making
Unsafe,
poorly
understood
decision
Mental capacity
Other influence
same Mental capacity
Adult support
and protection
Independent
Decision
Making
Inappropriate
restriction of
decision
making
Mental capacity
Other influence
same
REVIEW DATE
30. Resources
• Training,
professionalism and
experience
• Risk assessment tools
• DMD’s, falls
assessment, suicide risk,
fire risk, social, financial
sexual exploitation risk
• Professional standards
• GMC good medical
practice
• Legal framework
• Adults with incapacity
(Scotland) Act 2000: a
short guide
• ASP (Scotland) Act 2007
• Experienced colleagues
in health and social
care; local ethics
committee
Notes de l'éditeur
Hope T, Sparks R 2000 Crime Risk and Insecurity London Routledge P137
Risk management is about minimising not removing risk
Risk involves exposure to danger
Different approach to managing these situations
Mental capacity
What are the factors influencing the decisions made by others
cost
availability of resources
concept vs reality
realistic medicine
RIGHTS OF CARERS
Balance these issues around risk management; Ensure documentation at all stages
Aim to demonstrate and ask for examples of documentation in case studies
The consequences of managing risk must outweigh the consequences of not managing the risk
To be managed, the risk must be controllable in a way acceptable to those involved
Example using a hoist at home
Hoist too time consuming and if incontinence occurs too much work not offset by the longer term risk of back problems, but is there an issue of safety for vulnerable individual as well as for carer?
Take this simple test to work out if you need to discuss your risk of falls with your GP.
This self-assessment is based on the Falls Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT) used by healthcare professionals to help identify at risk patients aged 65 and over.
The test can help uncover any health issues that might make you more likely to fall, which you can discuss with your GP.
Your fall test score
If you have had a fall in the last 12 months or answered Yes to two or more questions in the test then you are advised to discuss your risk of falls with your GP. If they feel that you are at risk of falling they may refer you to specialist falls services.
Fall risk test
Have you had a fall in the last 12 months? Yes / NoYou are more likely to have another fall if you have fallen in the last year. A previous fall can also make you overly cautious and lead you to restrict your activities and even avoid leaving your home. A fear of falling can start to become a serious worry and can be quite difficult to deal with, if not addressed quickly.
Are you on four or more medications a day? Yes / NoTaking four or more medications significantly increases the risk for falling because of the side effects associated with multiple medication use. You should see your GP if you haven't had your medicines reviewed for more than a year. Your GP may recommend alternative medications or lower doses if appropriate.
Do you have Parkinson's disease or have you had a stroke? Yes / NoFalls are common after a stroke mainly because of leg weakness, sensory loss, and foot, eyesight and balance problems. Up to 73% of stroke survivors experience a fall in the first six months after leaving hospital. If you have Parkinson's, the reasons you fall may include poor balance, taking steps that are too small or that vary in size, or because your arms don't swing when you walk. Involuntary movements, which are a side effect of some Parkinson's medication, can also be a reason.
Do you feel unsteady or have problems with balance? Yes / NoTo help you answer, try these simple tests:
Can you walk while talking? Try answering random questions while walking with someone. If you stop walking either immediately or as soon as you start to answer a question, you should answer 'Yes' to the question.
Do you sway significantly while standing? Get someone to observe you standing upright. If you raise your arms or adjust your foot placement for balance, you should answer 'Yes' to the question. Take your weight on to one leg and try to lift the other foot off the floor by about an inch (allow a few practice attempts). If you struggle to balance on one leg, you should answer 'Yes' to the question.
The 'Timed Up and Go' test:
Stand up from the chair - Walk three metres (10 feet) at your normal pace - Turn - Walk back to the chair at your normal pace -If you take more than 12 seconds to complete the Timed Up and Go test, you should answer 'Yes' to the question.
Do you struggle to get up from a chair? Yes / NoYou should be able to stand up from a chair of knee height without using your arms. If you feel unsteady, lightheaded, dizzy or even feel faint after getting up, it could be a sign of low blood pressure. Postural hypotension (or orthostatic hypotension) is when your blood pressure drops when you go from lying down to sitting up, or from sitting to standing. When your blood pressure drops, less blood may reach your organs and muscles. Lowered blood pressure can make you more likely to fall.
For more fall prevention tips download Get Up and Go: A Guide to Staying Steady (PDF, 2.65MB).
Mental capacity
What are the factors influencing the decisions made by others
cost
availability of resources
concept vs reality
realistic medicine
RIGHTS OF CARERS