Aggregate root cause analysis

Aggregate RCA is used to identify system problems by analyzing groupings of similar events

What is an aggregate analysis?

An aggregate review is a type of root cause analysis. It is used when there are multiple occurences of the same type of event in the same three month reporting period (quarter).

Which RCA for aggregate analysis?

Topics for aggregate review are based on the Incident Reporting System, preferring incidents that are high-volume and high-risk.
Current topics: patient falls, medication errors, missing patients, and parasuicidal behavior (attempts and gestures).

Advantages of aggregate analysis?

To conduct an aggregate review:

References

  1. Neily J, Ogrinc G, Mills P, Williams R, Stalhandske E, Bagian J, Weeks WB. Using Aggregate Root Cause Analysis to Improve Patient Safety www.jointcommissionjournal.com 2003; 29(8): 434-439.
  2. Mills PD, Neily J, Luan D, Stalhandske E, Weeks WB. Using Aggregate Root Cause Analysis to Reduce Falls and Related Injuries www.sciencedirect.com 2005; 31(1): 21-31.
  3. Petzel RA. Department of Veteran Affairs, Washington, DC. VHA National Patient Safety Improvement Handbook (chapters 11~15) www.va.gov 2016; March.
  4. Medical Accident Prevention and Dispute Resolution Act Regulation Category: Administration > Ministry of Health and Welfare > Medical Affairs
    Article 34
    1. Medical institutions should analyze the root causes of major medical accidents, propose improvement plans, and notify the competent authorities.
    2. Regulations regarding major medical incidents that should be notified in the preceding paragraph, notification procedures, contents and other matters that must be followed shall be prescribed by the central competent authority.
    3. The notification of major medical accidents, root cause analysis and improvement plans in Paragraph 1 shall not be used as evidence or basis for judgment in the current medical dispute case, nor shall they be used as the basis for relevant administrative sanctions.
    law.moj.gov.tw 2024; January. [in Chinese]