Using ISMP Canada's framework for failure mode and effects analysis: a tale of two FMEAs

Patient safety concerns in healthcare are not new or unexpected, and one goal of all healthcare organizations is to provide the safest possible care for patients and their families. With that goal in mind, Annapolis Valley Health, a rural district health authority in Nova Scotia, identified the need to develop expertise in the use of failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) as a tool to promote quality processes within the organization. Staff members were aware of the value of this type of analysis but also recognized that real learning would best be achieved through completing an FMEA of an existing process or situation, rather than through a simulation or staff training. Annapolis Valley Health identified two high-risk situations requiring attention: transcription of medication orders for in-patients and overcrowding in the emergency department. The Institute for Safe Medication Practices Canada provided training and support to two staff teams and visited the organization eight months later for an update on progress. This article chronicles the journey of Annapolis Valley Health to improve patient safety through the application of FMEA to two high-risk processes for one of its hospital sites.