ABSTRACT
A Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is "a systematic investigation technique that looks beyond the individuals concerned and seeks to understand the underlying causes and environmental context in which an incident happened". As an investigation technique for patient safety incidents, it looks beyond the individuals concerned and seeks to understand the underlying causes and environmental context in which an incident happened. Increasing learning from clinical incidents and reducing harm to patients is a high priority for National Health Service in the United Kingdom. These priorities directly reflect the priority of its regulatory body, Care Quality Commission (CQC), which stated that there must be an appropriate system in place to monitor quality of care for patients. Finally, if an RCA establishes training needs or key information to be disseminated, simulation can be used in its more traditional role as an educational tool to meet these requirements.
