Root cause analysis is a tool that can be used when determining how and why a patient safety incident has occurred. Incidents that usually require a root cause analysis include the unexpected death of a patient, serious pressure ulcers, falls that result in injury, and some infections and medication errors. This article outlines the stages of the investigation process for undertaking a root cause analysis.
Root causes are the fundamental issues that led to the occurrence of an incident and can be identified using a systematic approach to investigation. Contributory factors related to the incident may also be identified.
Crucial questions in a root cause analysis are: what happened? How did it happen? And why did it happen?
Undertaking a root cause analysis can assist in identifying areas for change and developing recommendations, with the aim of providing safe patient care.
‘How to’ articles can help update your practice and ensure it remains evidence-based. Apply this article to your practice. Reflect on and write a short account of:
A patient safety incident that has occurred in your clinical practice, such as the unexpected death of a patient, a fall that resulted in injury, a serious pressure ulcer, an infection or a medication error. What happened next? Was a root cause analysis undertaken and what was the outcome of this?
How you can support your colleagues to undertake a root cause analysis after a patient safety incident occurs.
Nursing Standard. 32, 20, 41-46. doi: 10.7748/ns.2018.e10859
Correspondence Peer reviewThis article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software
Conflict of interestNone declared
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Received: 02 March 2017
Accepted: 16 October 2017
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