The step that I believe is the most important is being able to identify the risk. Being that I work closely with the OR at my facility, sometimes one surgeon will notice that a stapler malfunctioned, but in reality he did not have the proper in service training and was using incorrectly. When identifying risks, any incidents need to be filled out through the organization's portal. If there are multiple incidents, the Rep for the company is called. After the Rep is notified, they come in and check the problem. By then the staff has already stopped pulling that stapler. The surgeons are informed and have the option to a replacement or a completely product. You cannot continue to use products on patients that are deemed unsafe for patients and staff. Risk management will put out a notice and discontinue item. It is then removed from preference cards and the new product is updated. The process isn't always easy because you have to be sure that the decision sticks to state and federal guidelines. An example would be like around Covid time with the on and off policies with masks and vaccinations. After problems are identified, resolved, and trialed, the ultimate plan is set in policy. That is my experience dealing with risk management. Why is identifying risk the most important