Nokea
A nurse is assisting with the delivery of twins. The first infant is placed on the scale to be weighed. The physician requests an instrument stat. The nurse turns to hand the instrument to the physician, and the infant falls off the scale. When evaluating the incident, the nurse and her manager list contributory factors such as the need for two nurses when multiple births are known, and the location of the scale so far from the delivery field. These nurses are performing a(n):
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B: root cause analysis. Root cause analysis involves identifying the underlying causes of an incident to prevent its recurrence. In this scenario, the nurse and manager are examining factors contributing to the infant falling off the scale. They are looking beyond the immediate event to understand the systemic issues that led to the incident, such as the need for additional staff during multiple births and the placement of the scale far from the delivery field. By conducting a root cause analysis, they aim to address these underlying issues and prevent similar incidents in the future.
A: Standardization of care refers to consistent application of best practices, which is not the focus of the nurse and manager's actions in this situation.
C: Process variation involves analyzing inconsistencies in processes, which is not the primary concern in this incident.
D: Analysis of a deployment flowchart examines the flow of resources in a process, which is not directly related to identifying the root causes of the incident.