What is the purpose of a root cause analysis (RCA)?

• A. A financial audit of the healthcare facility
• B. An investigation to determine what happened and how to prevent recurrence
• C. A patient satisfaction survey
• D. A staff performance evaluation

Answer: (B)

Root cause analysis is a systematic process used after an adverse event to determine what happened, why it happened, and how to prevent recurrence. It digs into the sequence of events and the underlying factors in processes, policies, equipment, or communication that allowed the issue to occur, so corrective actions address root causes rather than just treating the immediate problem. This focus on uncovering systemic contributors helps reduce future risk and improves patient safety and care quality. Financial audits, patient satisfaction surveys, and staff performance evaluations, while valuable in their own right, do not analyze events to identify root causes or prevent recurrence.