Module 3, Lesson 2 - Process Overview

rough or actual

For routine investigations, "rough" root causes may be determined if the QA SysOp is very familiar with the organizational system and has extensive practice at conducting complete root cause analyses.

Actual root causes refer to those that have been revealed as the result of a formal root cause analysis.

Eindhoven Classification Model (ECM)

The Eindhoven Classification Model (ECM), which was originally developed by Tjerk van der Schaaf in the Netherlands, was selected as the MERS-TM causal coding scheme. It was first developed for use in the petrochemical industry but Dr. van der Schaaf and MERS collaborated to modify it for the medical domain.

Van der Schaafs work is based on the two basic categories of error: active or human error and latent error.

As illustrated in the Investigation path of this lesson, an expanded investigation includes a root cause analysis, which reveals all the root causes of an event.

After the root causes have been determined (whether rough or actual), each root cause is assigned a code from the Eindhoven Classification Model Medical Version (ECM).

Labeling each cause with a particular code provides a way for the organization to analyze and compare root causes across a number of events.


Page 1 of 6 - Root Cause Coding