In risk management, which statement best describes its focus?

• A. Diagnosing diseases to improve patient outcomes.
• B. Designing marketing strategies for the clinic.
• C. Scheduling staff rotations.
• D. Identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks to patients and staff.

Answer: (D)

Risk management focuses on identifying potential hazards, evaluating how likely they are and how severe their impact could be, and putting in place controls to prevent or lessen harm to patients and to staff. This preventive, safety‑oriented approach guides actions like incident reporting, root‑cause analysis, infection control, medication safety, and workplace safety improvements. Diagnosing diseases is about treating individual patients, not preventing or mitigating risk across the care setting. Marketing strategies aim to promote services, which is organizational growth rather than risk control. Scheduling staff rotations involves operations and staffing logistics, not the proactive safety assessment and mitigation that risk management prioritizes.