Here are selection of questions abour Root Cause Analysis (RCA). If you have a question about RCA, or if you have a question relating to your own experience of risk assessing adverse events, or undertaking root cause analysis investigations please contact enquiries@consequence.org.uk or use the feedback form.

1. Can you involve the healthcare team(s) in the root cause analysis process?
2. How can one be sure of the reliability of any qualitative risk assessment process?
3. Why not use quantitative risk analysis tools?
4. What is best, a risk assessment tool that uses words, letters or colour?
5. Why do people have such difficulty in risk assessing adverse healthcare events?
6. Is there generally only one root to a problem?
7. Is it essential to identify all of the roots in a root cause analysis?
8. Why is it so important that one considers a broad range of factors when risk assessing an incident?
9. Root Cause Analysis sounds really complicated is it?
10. Incident management is only one part of my job, I don't have time for root cause analysis.
11. Can Consequence provide be-spoke training on an in-house basis?

1. Can you involve the healthcare team(s) in the root cause analysis process?
Absolutely. In fact in healthcare it is recommended that you do. You do however need to ensure that who ever facilitates the process has had some training and is confident in what they are doing.

2. How can one be sure of the reliability of any qualitative risk assessment process?
You cannot be absolutely sure of its reliability, and the debate over which approach (qualitative, or quantitative) is best has been going on for years. However you will find that there will be greater consensus of opinion as to the severity of risk exposure with a qualative tool, than can be achieved by not using one at all.

3. Why not use quantitative risk analysis tools?
In healthcare, we currently do not have sufficient good quality data to undertake quantitative analysis of risk, so quantitative methods are our best option.

4. What is best, a risk assessment tool that uses words, letters or colour?
Providing that the tool complies with the 5x5 principle it really doesn't matter. What is essential is that those persons using it understand what they are doing.

5. Why do people have such difficulty in risk assessing adverse healthcare events?
Most people have difficultly with risk assessing adverse events because they forget to consider the circumstances of the event, and jump automatically to 'worst case scenario'.

6. Is there generally only one root to a problem?
No. Frequently there are often many roots, or causative factors, that created the opportunity for the problem to occur.

7. Is it essential to identify all of the roots in a root cause analysis?
No. What is essential is that you identify all causal factors and effective solutions to the problems you identify..

8.Why is it so important that one considers a broad range of factors when risk assessing an incident?
To assist you in identifying the real risk associated with an event. If you only consider one dimension e.g. persons affected, you may fail to consider the wider, and sometimes more significant affects of the event on the community.

9. Root Cause Analysis sounds really complicated is it?
Not really. There are many tools that are easy to use that can help with this type of process. For example cause and effect diagrams.

10. Incident management is only one part of my job, I don't have time for root cause analysis.
The time taken will usually be dependant upon the severity and complexity of the issue you are looking at. You can explore problems using RCA processes in as little as 30 minutes. With complex issues the most time intensive element of an investigation is the collection of all relevant information germane to the problem or issue you are looking at. The analysis of the problem, using RCA techniques, can usually be achieved in a short space of time comparative to this.

11. Can Consequence provide be-spoke training on an in-house basis?
Yes. We are always happy to mould any of the training programmes we provide so that they suit the particular needs of your organisation.