ABSTRACT
This chapter examines ways of expressing risk, risk perception, risk trade-offs and balancing risk against benefit. It also examines some of the risks related to patients and to diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. The chapter describes the direct physical harm to patients and observes that delays and inconveniences as a form of harm and at times have a significant impact on a patient's wellbeing. Understanding and dealing with risk allow a prospective approach to the problem of iatrogenic harm. For individual patients and for the funders of healthcare avoidable harm caused by the healthcare process rather than an underlying disease or injury really matters. Root cause analysis should be undertaken to identify strategies to prevent recurrence when major harm occurs. The chapter standardizes terminology and refines methods of assessing the scope, nature and impact of things that go wrong in healthcare and preventive and devises and implements corrective strategies.
