FMEA

Research 5-6 PowerPoint slides Please join me on my first FMEA journey! 

We are required to complete at least one FMEA (Failure, Mode, Effect, Analysis) each year.  This is a proactive risk assessment which selects a situation or process that is not currently a problem, but risk does exist and the situation can occur.  In this case, this situation occurred in the 4th quarter last year at another local area hospital.  It has also happened at other hospitals I have worked at. 

The situation being that an inpatient at risk for suicide, successfully commits suicide while on admission in the hospital as an inpatient.  

Steps in an FMEA:

1. Select an evidence based tool to aid in the self-assessment process.  I have obtained one for us to use from the California Patient Safety Organization, called CHPSO.  

2. Ask our subject matter experts the questions, and/or we walk the unit in order to answer certain questions.

3. Score the results and select the highest risk by score to work on

4. Identify and take actions to mitigate (or eliminate where possible) the risks identified