Identification and assessment of common errors in the admission process of patients in the Central Emergency Department of Imam Reza Hospital applying the prospective approach of "Failure Mode Effects Analysis" (FMEA)

Background and Aim : Emergency ward is among hospital areas with high risk of errors, thus, implementing measures to identify and correct the errors is essential. The object of this study is to identify and assess the errors of the process of admitting patients in Emergency Department of Imam Reza Hospital using Failure Mode Effects Analysis, as one of the tools to assess and manage risk, as well as proposing actions to improve the process. Method: In this descriptive study, the potential modes of error related to the admission process was evaluated and analyzed by FMEA methodology. The data was collected through group interviews and holding weekly meetings with group members using the techniques of brainstorming and fishbone diagram, and the results were registered in the final FMEA worksheet. Results: Using FMEA methodology, 37 modes of potential errors in admission process of the Emergency Department were identified and analyzed, with the reliability of 85%, 13 modes of error with RPN≥140 as high risk errors were identified in three areas of errors related to nurses, doctors and errors associated with patients, then measures and solutions were proposed to reduce each of these errors. Conclusion: Applying Failure Mode Effects Analysis in a critical and high demanding ward such as Emergency Department helps to identify and correct the errors, while proposed measures for each of the errors are highly applicable regarding team composition.