Using Root Cause Analysis to Improve Quality and Performance

Resource: Using Root Cause Analysis to Help Practices Understand and Improve Their Performance and Outcomes (PDF, 908 KB, 18 pages)

Part of an AHRQ curriculum used to train practice facilitators, this resource describes how practices can use a root cause analysis to understand underlying factors affecting performance on quality measures. It reviews the “Five Whys,” Fishbone diagramming, and Fall Out analysis. Practices can use these tools to make changes to integrate evidence into patient care, part of Key Driver 2: Implement a data-driven quality improvement process to integrate evidence into practice procedures. Although the resource is directed to practice facilitators, it can be used by practices.

Institution of origin: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Author(s): Knox L, Levine J, Sommers B, Michaels L, Taylor E

Acknowledgements: This document is part of AHRQ’s Primary Care Practice Facilitation Curriculum, available at: https://www.ahrq.gov/ncepcr/tools/transform-qi/deliver-facilitation/curriculum/index.html.

Publication date: September 2015