Patient Safety & Risk Management
Patient Safety at the Munich-Planegg Urology Clinic
The safety of our patients is the highest priority at the Munich-Planegg Urology Clinic. Our aim is not only to identify potential errors at an early stage, analyze them, and correct them sustainably, but above all to prevent them from occurring in the first place.
To achieve this, we have established numerous tools that minimize risks, ensure the quality of treatment, and continuously improve patient safety. In doing so, we consistently adhere to high national and international quality and safety standards.
Below, we present some of the key tools we use to actively enhance patient safety.
To achieve this, we have established numerous tools that minimize risks, ensure the quality of treatment, and continuously improve patient safety. In doing so, we consistently adhere to high national and international quality and safety standards.
Below, we present some of the key tools we use to actively enhance patient safety.
Patient Safety – An Overview of Our Measures
Risk Management
Risk management is regarded as an integral part of quality management. By their very nature, errors in medical care can quickly have serious consequences for the patient concerned. Measures to improve patient safety therefore provide the greatest benefit in this area. Our clinic operates a quality management system and has been certified in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 since 2007.
Ensuring patient safety and improving the quality of patient care is our highest priority. The Urological Clinic Munich-Planegg uses a range of different quality assurance tools.
Safety checklist
The World Health Organization (WHO) has demonstrated that the use of checklists makes surgical procedures safer. We use digital checklists at various stages of the hospital care process. A key tool is a mandatory surgical safety checklist. Before surgery begins, individual criteria such as the patient's identity, the surgical site, and the planned procedure are checked, confirmed, and documented by the surgical team.
Patient identification wristbands
Throughout your hospital stay, the patient identification wristband is used to verify your identity at every stage of care and prevent mix-ups. This is particularly important during surgery and when administering medications or blood products.
Standardized syringe labels
For medications administered by syringe, it must be ensured that the contents of the syringe can be identified without any doubt. Our hospital also applies the nationwide standard for syringe labels in accordance with the recommendations of the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (DIVI).
Digital documentation
Documentation is fully digital from premedication through to the intermediate care unit. This enables us to ensure that documentation is complete, up to date, and clearly organized. High-quality, traceable documentation contributes to patient safety and the optimization of perioperative anesthesia processes.
Antibiotic Stewardship (ABS)
The steadily increasing antibiotic resistance of pathogens is making the successful treatment of infectious diseases increasingly difficult. Antibiotic stewardship is a systematic, sustainable effort aimed at improving and ensuring rational antimicrobial prescribing practices. This encompasses strategies and measures that ensure the quality of antimicrobial treatment in terms of selection, dosage, administration, and duration of use in order to achieve the best clinical treatment outcome while ensuringminimal toxicity for the patient. Our antibiotic stewardship program combines several ABS measures that have a favorable impact on trends in resistance, costs, and consumption.
Blood transfusion
Blood is an essential component of every human being, without which we cannot survive. It contains a wide variety of cells and substances that sustain life and work together in a perfectly sophisticated system. An adult naturally has approximately 5 to 6 liters of blood, allowing a certain amount to be lost without harm. Despite the body's natural compensatory mechanisms, there are limits. Blood loss during major surgery or a pathological reduction inthe production of new blood cells cannot always be compensated for by the body. A blood transfusion may be necessary to prevent damage to the organs. As part of the inpatient admission process, a blood sample will be taken from you before major surgery. This sample will be used to determine your blood type and, if necessary, to provide compatible blood products.
Patient Blood Management (PBM)
Anemia (low blood count) is a major risk factor for increased in-hospital mortality and numerous health complications. The aim of our Patient Blood Management concept is to prepare our patients optimally for surgery, build up their own blood resources as effectively as possible using modern methods, and conserve them during surgery. Specifically, before surgery, our clinic checks whether anemia is present and whether it can be treated. One common form of anemia, for example, is caused byiron deficiency. In this case, administering iron before surgery enables the body to produce more of its own blood again and strengthen its own blood resources in time for the operation. Adequate and careful coagulation management is equally important for preventing and effectively treating perioperative bleeding. In addition, blood-conserving techniques are used during surgery. In this context, however, it must not be forgotten that donor blood is often lifesaving and that, for this reason, it is not possibleto dispense entirely with blood transfusions. At the Munich-Planegg Urology Clinic, the indication for a blood transfusion is always determined according to very strict criteria. It essentially depends on the current hemoglobin level (red blood pigment), existing underlying conditions, and intraoperative blood loss. Thanks to today's strict guidelines for the production and administration of blood products, blood transfusions now involve significantly lower risks than in the past.
Critical Incident Reporting System (CIRS)
The retrospective analysis of critical incidents is an important tool for identifying and preventing errors in patient care. The Department of Urology has an anonymous, cross-sector incident reporting system through which employees can report potential risks and critical incidents before they lead to an error.
Morbidity and Mortality Conferences
To ensure continuous quality assurance, morbidity and mortality conferences (M&M conferences) are held regularly at the Munich-Planegg Department of Urology. These are conducted in accordance with current international guidelines and serve to analyze courses of treatment openly and constructively. Potential sources of error are identified, employees are trained, and treatment standards are further developed, thereby achieving lasting improvements in patient safety and the quality of medical care.