Root-Cause Analysis and Safety Improvement Plan

Root-Cause Analysis and Safety Improvement Plan

Healthcare is a vital part of society that has moved in leaps and bounds over the years. However, with this growth, it has also become more complex in nature and there are more parts that are involved in healthcare. A root-cause analysis has become a critical element in healthcare. It is an approach that involves discovering the reasons for a particular adverse event in order to identify the preventive measures that are required for the issues presented (Mills, 2016). Indeed, it has become necessary to have root-cause analysis for every healthcare facility as it can enhance and help in the creation of the best initiative that can deal with the issue identified (Giomuso et al., 2014). For this paper, medication errors have stood out as the sentinel event and the root-cause analysis will help enhance the achievement of the desired goals. The paper will offer an analysis of medication errors and offer the best evidence based strategies to deal with the same while using a safety improvement plan in the process. Event Description The event that required the root-cause analysis has also been described in assessment one. While working at a particular healthcare facility, it was evident that cases of medication errors were on the rise, particularly over the last 12 months. For instance, while working night shift, I was privy to a medication error event similar to two others that had happened to two of my colleagues previously. Indeed, the event was scary as the patient started convulsing yet he was alright a few minutes ago. All the tests were inconclusive since he showed no sign of deterioration especially considering he was to be discharged in the morning. It was only after looking at his medication chart that it was realized that the outgoing nurse had given the patient 6 times the amount of medication. The issue was solved and the patient recovered well. However,