Root Cause Analysis in Perinatal Care: Health Care Professionals Creating Safer Health Care Systems

Risk reduction strategies are presented to make this root cause analysis (RCA) process meaningful and efficient while promoting the ultimate goal of safer health care systems.

Abstract

Medical error is a leading cause of death in the United States. The root cause analysis (RCA) process provides the framework for analysis of sentinel events and other medical errors. A thorough understanding of this process is a key component in promoting safety within the health care setting. Risk reduction strategies are presented to make this process meaningful and efficient while promoting the ultimate goal of safer health care systems.