What is root cause analysis primarily used to do?

• A. Assign blame to individuals
• B. Calculate hospital revenue
• C. Identify the basic factors underlying performance variation
• D. Rate patient satisfaction

Answer: (C)

Root cause analysis is used to uncover the underlying factors that explain why a process performs the way it does or why an incident occurred. The goal is to identify basic causes—often system, workflow, communication, training, equipment, or policy gaps—so changes address the true sources of variation and prevent recurrence. In health care, this means looking beyond who made an error to what conditions allowed it, such as unclear handoffs, missing checks, or broken escalation protocols. Tools like the “why” approach or cause-and-effect diagrams help trace the problem back to these root causes. After identifying them, teams implement targeted improvements and monitor their impact. This is about system improvement and safety, not assigning blame, and it isn’t about revenue or patient satisfaction measurement.