Question

A hospital supervisor notices that signatures are missing on several admission consent forms.

Which action will reduce risk for the hospital?
A.) Add an electronic alert to prompt for signatures
B.) Increase the number of admission clerks available
C.) Assign responsibility for signatures to the admission nurse
D.) Require admissions to contact patients for incomplete forms

Answer 1

To reduce risk for the hospital concerning missing signatures on admission consent forms, adding an electronic alert to prompt for signatures would be an effective solution.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student is asking about risk management strategies in a hospital where several admission consent forms are missing signatures. To reduce risk for the hospital, an effective action would be to add an electronic alert to prompt for signatures. This solution leverages technology to ensure that a key step in the patient admission process is not overlooked. By contrast, increasing the number of admission clerks or assigning signature responsibility to already busy nurses may not address the root cause of the oversight. Requiring admissions to contact patients for incomplete forms may help with documentation completion, but it can be inconvenient and may not be timely. The electronic alert system would serve as an immediate prompt during the admission process, thereby minimizing risk and ensuring compliance with necessary procedural protocols.