Foresight for risk management in the context of acute healthcare in Malta

Abstract

The research aimed to explore the role of foresight in the risk management process particularly in identifying risks in an acute healthcare setting. The significance of this research is emphasized by the escalating complexity and unpredictability inherent in modern acute healthcare environments. As acute healthcare facilities grapple with the dual challenges of ensuring patient safety and maintaining operational efficiency, the adoption of foresight as a strategic tool emerges as a critical enabler for enhancing the identification of potential risks. The main research question investigated how foresight could contribute to improve risk identification in the dynamic setting of acute healthcare, followed by a sub research question which queried the best practices, enablers and key barriers of using foresight tools. To comprehensively address the research aim and objectives, the study employed a qualitative research design. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with thirteen health professionals within the main acute hospital in Malta. Five participants had managerial experience whilst the other eight participants held both managerial and clinical experience. The qualitative information gathered from the interviews was categorised using thematic analysis, after which the researcher discussed the role of foresight in risk identification and developed two future scenarios for the hospital's risk identification procedures based on the themes that surfaced. The main findings advocate that foresight contributes to a profound shift towards a more proactive rather than reactive risk identification methods, promoting resilience in healthcare. Foresight allows healthcare organizations to be better prepared for future challenges by planning ahead and allows for the enhancement of interpersonal attributes such as promoting an inclusive culture and effective communication in health care professionals. Foresight also fosters a risk-aware community where the collection and reflection of diverse ideas are encouraged. In addition, foresight could allow for the identification and the integration of advanced technology and artificial intelligence in hospital operations to better identify risks. The two future scenarios created represent two distinct perspectives to risk identification. The first scenario emphasizes human-driven processes, and the second explores a technology dominated approach. Lastly, scenario planning informed the implications for practice.