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#12. Can you recommend any software to help with an root cause analysis?

No and Yes.   First the "No." There are a large number of software programs in the quality management arena (outside of health care) designed to facilitate the performance of parts or all of a root cause analysis. They are used in accident investigation, software design, nuclear energy, chemical engineering, electronics, etc. It had been our hope to find one or more software packages that we could use in our own root cause analysis efforts, in our consultative work, and frankly, that we might even resell. We reviewed a number of those programs very thoroughly, and in the cases of the best of them, did so in a very interactive manner with the software developers. Even having been given full licensed versions of several of these products, we use none of them. The owner-developers of two of the best (in our opinion) three root cause analysis software packages invited us to engage in joint ventures in order to enhance their products for the health care market. We declined. We did not and do not feel that any of those root cause analysis programs could adequately meet our needs, and would have to be re-written rather than simply modified in order to meet those needs. The owner-developers were understandably disinclined to redo their products. A commercial caveat is necessary here. As a consequence of there being no existing satisfactory product, we are now in a joint venture to develop one, called Root Cause AnalystTM.  It is our expectation that our product will be an excellent one, designed to walk an inexperienced or experienced team through the entire root cause analysis process. It's in final "beta" staging right now; anticipated release date is December of 1999.

For a hopefully relatively unbiased review of what to look for in such a root cause analysis software product, I would refer you to two chapters in a book scheduled for release this coming winter. It is edited by Patrice Spath of Brown-Spath & Associates, and its prepublication title is Error Reduction in Health Care. We have written one chapter in that book addressing this issue, as did the principle in another root cause analysis software and consulting firm. Ms. Spath has been kind enough to allow us to prepublish an expansion of our chapter (See Automating the Root Cause Analysis Process.

Now the "Yes" part of this long-winded answer. We have found the use of flowcharting to be virtually imperative in making a root cause analysis effective, economical and understandable. Depending upon the approach one utilizes, that flowchart might be a "Causal Event Tree," a "Contributory Factor Tree," a "Failure Mode and Effect Diagram," etc. Good flowcharting software helps tremendously, and there are a number of excellent such products. Our personal favorite is allCLEAR®, available from SPSS, a full version of which is embedded in our software product, Root Cause AnalystTM  (it includes enhanced flowcharting capability).

 

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About MRMA.  Automate Root Cause Analysis.  Root Cause Analysis Training Comments.  Copyright.  Costeffective Root Cause Analysis.  Credible Root Cause Analysis.  Protection from Discoverability.  Reporting of Sentinel Events to JCAHO.  Root Cause Analysis Cost.  JCAHO Requirement for Root Cause Analysis  JCAHO Sentinel Event Reporting Options.  Proximate cause, root cause versus contributory factor.  Root Cause Analysis on Non-Sentinel Events.  RCA on Sentinel versus Adverse Event.  Reaction to JCAHO Sentinel Event Policy.  Suicide RCA Data.  Root Cause Analysis Policy Implementation.  Root Cause Analysis Standards.  Software facilitation of root cause analysis.  Thorough & Credible Root Cause Analysis.  DoD Sentinel Event Reporting.  Literature Review in Root Cause Analysis.  Root Cause Analysis Training.  FAQ's on Root Cause Analysis.  FOCUS-PDCA.  Guestbook.  Implementing Root Cause Analysis Policy.  MRMA Home.  Inforequest.  Links.  Patient-Doctor Dialog.  Freedom from Restraint.  JCAHO Reporting Options.  Root Cause Analyst.  Thankyou.  Root Cause Analysis Theory.  Root Cause Analysis Training.  Root Cause Analysis Training.  Sample Root Cause Analysis Report.  Sample RCA Contributory Factor Tree Diagram.  Root Cause Analysis Reporting Form. 
About MRMA.  Automate Root Cause Analysis.  Root Cause Analysis Training Comments.  Copyright.  Costeffective Root Cause Analysis.  Credible Root Cause Analysis.  Protection from Discoverability.  Reporting of Sentinel Events to JCAHO.  Root Cause Analysis Cost.  JCAHO Requirement for Root Cause Analysis.  JCAHO Sentinel Event Reporting Options.  Proximate cause, root cause versus contributory factor.  Root Cause Analysis on Non-Sentinel Events.  RCA on Sentinel versus Adverse Event.  Reaction to JCAHO Sentinel Event Policy.  Suicide RCA Data.  Root Cause Analysis Policy Implementation.  Root Cause Analysis Standards.  Software facilitation of root cause analysis.  Thorough & Credible Root Cause Analysis.  DoD Sentinel Event Reporting.  Literature Review in Root Cause Analysis.  Root Cause Analysis Training.  FAQ's on Root Cause Analysis.  FOCUS-PDCA.  Guestbook.  Implementing Root Cause Analysis Policy.  MRMA Home.  Inforequest.  Links.  Patient-Doctor Dialog.  Freedom from Restraint.  JCAHO Reporting Options.  Root Cause Analyst.  Thankyou.  Root Cause Analysis Theory.  Root Cause Analysis Training.  Medical Risk Management Associates.  Sample Root Cause Analysis Report.  Sample RCA Contributory Factor Tree Diagram.  Root Cause Analysis Reporting Form.