The Role of Root Cause Analysis in Healthcare
A root cause analysis (RCA) aims to identify any breakdowns in processes and systems that contributed to an adverse event.
When done effectively, an RCA can:
- Identify factors that contributed to an adverse event or near-miss so that measures can be put in place to address contributing factors
- Prevent incidents from happening again in the future
- Improve patient safety outcomes
- Reduce the costs associated with risk
Traditionally, conducting a root cause analysis in healthcare has involved data collection, staff interviews, and literature reviews, which culminates in identifying the root cause of an issue and interventions that could potentially minimize or eliminate the risk of reoccurrence of the incident or event.
Although root cause analysis is a crucial element of improving patient safety and quality of care, finding the right process for conducting an RCA can often be time-consuming and expensive for healthcare organizations to implement.