Joint Commission journal on quality and patient safety / Joint Commission Resources
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Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf · Jan 2005
Comparative StudyUsing aggregate root cause analysis to reduce falls.
In certain categories of adverse events, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities may combine data to produce an aggregate review of the data. Individual root cause analyses are still required for the more serious adverse events. About 100 of the VA acute and long term care facilities contributed data to an analysis of results of 176 root cause analyses (RCAs) for patient falls occurring in the VA system. ⋯ The action plans associated with these reductions focused on making specific clinical changes at the bedside rather than policy changes or educating staff. Specific interventions most highly associated with reductions in falls and injuries included environmental assessments, toileting interventions, and interventions that directly addressed the root cause and were the responsibility of a single person (as opposed to a group).