Toward a Risk Management Strategy: A Narrative Review of Methods for Translation of Risk Assessment into Risk Management

Abstract

In forensic mental health care, a risk management plan forms the transition between the assessment and the treatment phase. Research and practice have shown that clinicians often experience difficulties in the transition from assessment to risk management. Available methods often do not provide sufficient guidelines. The current narrative review aimed to provide an overview of available methods for the translation of the risk assessment information into a risk management plan and to evaluate these methods. A literature search led to the identification of 21 methods, of which only two provided concrete guidelines for all of the steps of the pathway from risk assessment to management. Results underline the importance of providing clinicians with structured methods to guide the risk management pathway.