Root cause analysis as used in China′s hospital management: current research and application

Objective To review the current research and application of root cause analysis (RCA) method in China′s hospital management. Methods A retrospective analysis in six aspects was made by means of formulating a retrieval strategy and inclusion criteria, retrieval of databases, and literature review. Results The number of Chinese RCA researches was increasing year by year, mostly from researcher of the eastern coastal areas. These studies focused on the effects of RCA application outcomes and nursing safety. Tools in use were mainly fishbone diagram, brainstorming and 3-why method. 72.24% of the root causes as found in literature were system factors, and 27.76% were human factors. Most of the researches made positive comments on RCA. Conclusions RCA is being warmly embraced by China′s hospital management as it can positively change the accountability culture towards adverse events. Yet RCA has not been satisfactorily applied, and its future research and application in China′s hospital management need more in-depth study and critical analysis. Key words: Root cause analysis; Hospital management; Adverse event; Literature review; Application