|
|
|
Frequently Asked Questions
#6. When should a facility perform a root cause analysis on an event not required by JCAHO?NOW! By this we mean that it is inadvisable to do your first root cause analysis when you have to. That is crisis management rather than planned leadership. Define your root cause analysis processes when you are not time-pressured, when you are not dealing with a sentinel event and all the complications which that can entail. Think of a root cause analysis in response to a sentinel event as an emergency. You do emergency drills so that you can function well in an actual crisis. Establish and teach your root cause analysis processes when they are not needed, so that you need not function so much in a crisis mode when you are required to perform one. Do "unnecessary" root cause analyses as learning experiences. You will likely find, incidentally, that there will be considerable benefit to be derived from such analyses. Further, as you gain experience with root cause analysis and its value, it is very likely that you will "lower your threshold" for doing them. It has been our experience that once a group becomes comfortable with root cause analysis processes, root cause analysis will be conducted on a self-initiated basis for a variety of process or quality improvement purposes.
Root Cause Analyst Software® | FAQs on the Issues | Root Cause Analysis Training Sponsored by Medical Risk Management Associates, LLC Copyright© 1998, 1999 MRMA, LLC. All rights reserved. |