Effective Root Cause Analysis

Medical Device Use Error: Root Cause Analysis offers practical guidance on how to methodically discover and explain the root cause of a use error―a mistake―that occurs when someone uses a medical device.

There is no easy answer to the question, “What is RCA?” Some will give a general idea of what Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is designed to accomplish, while others will advocate a specific approach.

In the field of maintenance, good problem-solving practices are among the most important elements to maximizing equipment uptime, and by resolving the root cause of the failure, in increasing equipment reliability. To be successful, an organization must be able to resolve the effects of a failure quickly so that it can go back to normal, and, in some cases, determine the cause of the failure so that a permanent solution can be identified and implemented. These are two distinct requirements (troubleshooting and root cause failure analysis), with distinctive requirements. Both are important, and one cannot exist without the other if we want to be efficient and effective in resolving asset failures.