ABSTRACT

Centre for Occupational Health & Safety Engineering and Ergonomics (COHSEE) College of Engineering and Informatics

Galway University Hospitals, Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering

Galway, Ireland

Health Care Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (HFMEA®) is an established tool for risk assessment in health care. A number of deficiencies have been identified in the method. A new method called Systems and Error Analysis Bundle for Health Care (SEABH, pronounced ‘SAVE’) was developed to address these deficiencies. SEABH was tested and validated using the Validation Square and supported by application to a number of medical process case studies. One of these case studies, ‘Prescription Administration Process in a Cardiothoracic Unit’ is reported in this paper in the context of the validation and testing process employed. The case study supported the validity of SEABH with respect to its capacity to address the weaknesses of HFMEA®.