ABSTRACT
RCA is one tool for healthcare unintended event analysis, problem-solving, and improvement work. There are others: troubleshooting, simple problem-solving, complex problem-solving, A3, 5 Whys, FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis), Case Quality Review, Apparent Cause Analysis, Meta-Analysis, Peer Review, and Morbidity and Mortality Conference.
This chapter organizes these tools along the dimensions of how much time they require, the strength of the gathered evidence, and the effectiveness or accuracy of their results. There is a hierarchy of these tools based on the time and resources required. Selecting the appropriate form of analysis and when to use RCA are important considerations discussed. A prioritization tool provided helps teams navigate these decisions.
There are a variety of techniques available within RCA methodology. Commonly used ones are 5 Whys, Fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram, and Logic Tree. Through comparative analysis, this chapter explains why the Logic Tree was determined to be the RCA technique most capable of defining all the latent roots and the cause-and-effect relationships of those latent roots leading to the unintended event.
