Teaching Root Cause Analysis Using Simulation: Curriculum and Outcomes.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Patient Safety Methodologies
• Medical Education

Background:

• Clinicians are vital for enhancing healthcare quality and safety.
• Some clinicians may need further training in quality improvement and patient safety (QI/PS) methodologies, such as root cause analysis (RCA).

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a simulation-based approach for teaching RCA to clinicians in the VA's Chief Resident in Quality and Safety program.
• To assess clinician preparedness to conduct and teach RCA after the simulation training.
• To provide adaptable curriculum details and materials for broader implementation.

Main Methods:

• A simulation-based course was designed with presentations, role-playing, and an RCA case.
• Learning objectives covered RCA structure, process flow, information gathering, cause-and-effect diagramming, and action identification.
• A voluntary web-based survey assessed participant competency post-training (N=114).

Main Results:

• A total of 93 participants completed the survey, yielding an 82% response rate.
• Nearly all respondents (99%) felt at least moderately prepared to conduct and teach RCA.
• A significant majority (77%) reported feeling very to extremely prepared post-training.

Conclusions:

• Experiential learning through simulations appears effective for improving clinician competency in QI/PS practices like RCA.
• Further research is needed to evaluate the impact on real-world RCA team participation and applicability across disciplines.