The purpose of this assessment is to demonstrate your understanding of and ability to analyze a root cause of a specific safety concern in a healthcare setting. You will create a plan to improve the safety of patients related to the safety quality issue presented in your Assessment Supplement PDF in Assessment 1. Based on the results of your analysis, using the literature and professional best practices as well as the existing resources at your chosen healthcare setting, provide a rationale for your plan.

Use the Root-Cause Analysis and Safety Improvement Plan [DOCX] template to complete the assessment.

Additionally, be sure that your plan addresses the following, which corresponds to the grading criteria in the scoring guide. Please study the scoring guide carefully so you understand what is needed for a distinguished score.

Analyze the root cause of a patient safety issue or a specific sentinel event in an organization.
Apply evidence-based and best-practice strategies to address the safety issue or sentinel event.
Create a viable, evidence-based safety improvement plan.
Identify existing organizational resources that could be leveraged to improve your plan.
Communicate in writing that is clear, logical, and professional, with correct grammar and spelling, using current APA style.

Struggling with where to start this assignment? Follow this guide to tackle your assignment easily!

Step 1: Review the Assessment Instructions and Scoring Guide

Before writing, carefully read the assessment prompt, scoring guide, and the Root-Cause Analysis and Safety Improvement Plan template. Pay close attention to the criteria for a distinguished score, as this will guide how detailed and evidence-based your responses need to be.

Step 2: Identify the Patient Safety Issue or Sentinel Event

Using the Assessment Supplement PDF from Assessment 1, clearly identify:

The specific patient safety issue or sentinel event
The healthcare setting where it occurred
Who was affected (patients, staff, organization)

Be specific and concise. This sets the foundation for your entire paper.

Step 3: Conduct a Root-Cause Analysis (RCA)

Analyze why the safety issue occurred rather than just describing what happened.
Consider factors such as:

Human factors (training gaps, communication failures)
System or process failures
Environmental or organizational issues
Policy or compliance gaps

Use recognized RCA tools such as the Five Whys or Fishbone (Ishikawa) Diagram to strengthen your analysis.

Step 4: Support Your Analysis with Evidence

Integrate current, peer-reviewed literature to support your root-cause findings.
Focus on:

Evidence-based research related to the safety issue
National safety standards or guidelines
Best practices used in similar healthcare settings

This demonstrates critical thinking and strengthens your academic credibility.

Step 5: Develop an Evidence-Based Safety Improvement Plan

Create a realistic and actionable plan that:

Directly addresses the identified root causes
Includes specific interventions (e.g., staff training, policy updates, technology use)
Aligns with evidence-based and professional best practices

Clearly explain how each strategy will improve patient safety.

Step 6: Identify Existing Organizational Resources

Describe resources already available in the organization that can support your plan, such as:

Patient safety committees
Quality improvement teams
Reporting systems
Educational programs or technology

Explain how these resources can be leveraged to ensure successful implementation.

Step 7: Provide a Clear Rationale for Your Plan

Justify why your proposed strategies are appropriate by:

Linking them back to the root causes
Supporting them with scholarly evidence
Explaining expected outcomes for patient safety

This rationale is essential for achieving a higher score.

Step 8: Write Clearly and Follow APA Style

Ensure your paper is:

Well-organized with clear headings
Written in a professional, academic tone
Free of grammar and spelling errors
Properly formatted using current APA style (in-text citations, references, title page)

Proofread carefully before submission.

🔗 Helpful Academic & Professional Resources

You may use the following links to support your research and writing:

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ):
https://www.ahrq.gov/patient-safety/index.html
World Health Organization – Patient Safety:
https://www.who.int/teams/integrated-health-services/patient-safety
The Joint Commission – Sentinel Event Resources:
https://www.jointcommission.org/resources/patient-safety-topics/sentinel-event/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – Healthcare Safety:
https://www.cdc.gov/patientsafety/index.html
Purdue OWL – APA Style (7th Edition):
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_style_introduction.html

Root Cause Analysis and Safety Improvement Plan in Healthcare Settings