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Showing 2 results for Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (fmea)

Farnaz Attar Jannesar Nobari, Taraneh Yousefinezhadi, Faranak Behzadi Goodari, Mohammad Arab,
Volume 14, Issue 2 (8-2015)
Abstract

Background: The goal of clinical risk management is to improve the quality of health care organization’s services and to ensure patients' safety. Thus, this study has identified and evaluated the potential failures by Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) approach to eliminate errors occurrence of an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in a hospital in Tehran city.

Materials and Methods: This study is a descriptive one in which data were gathered qualitatively by direct observation, document review, and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with the process owners in an Intensive Care Units (ICUs) of a Tehran non-governmental hospital in 2014. According to FMEA method, quantitative data analysis was carried out based on failures’ Risk Priority Number (RPN).

Results: By FMEA, 378 potential failure modes in 180 ICU tasks were identified and evaluated. Then, with 90% confidence, 18 failure modes with RPN≥100 are identified and analyzed as non-acceptable risks totally.

Conclusion: Identifying 18 failures as non accepted risk from identified 378s, and identifying causes, analyzing and then suggesting correction actions reveals the FMEA high capability to identify, evaluate, prioritize and analyze potential failure modes in a such complex and critical hospital ward(ICU).


Abbas Jahangiri,
Volume 24, Issue 1 (5-2025)
Abstract

Background and purpose: Hospital wastewater infrastructure is critical for safeguarding public health and protecting the environment. Deficiencies in the management of these systems can precipitate severe public health and environmental crises. This study aimed to identify and prioritize investment risks associated with hospital wastewater infrastructure.
Methods: This applied case study was conducted in a general hospital in Arak, Iran, during April 2025. Initial risk identification involved a comprehensive literature review and semi-structured interviews with 14 experts, with data analysis facilitated by MAXQDA 2022 software. Subsequently, a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) approach, utilizing a customized checklist, was employed to score each identified risk based on its severity, probability of occurrence, and detectability. The Risk Priority Number (RPN) for each risk was then calculated using Microsoft Excel. Finally, risks were ranked in descending order according to their RPN values.
Results: A total of 23 key risks were identified and categorized into five principal areas: design, technical, environmental, operational, and managerial. The highest RPNs were attributed to "lack of pre-treatment systems," "insufficient capacity planning," and "wastewater leakage into surrounding soil". Additionally, managerial and operational risks, such as "insufficient budget for maintenance" and "shortage of skilled personnel," were recognized as significant aggravating factors for other risks.
Conclusion: The findings underscore that many critical risks within hospital wastewater infrastructure originate from fundamental weaknesses in initial design and ongoing management. The FMEA method proved to be an effective and systematic tool for identifying and prioritizing these risks, thereby facilitating improved engineering and managerial decision-making and enhancing the overall effectiveness of investments in this vital infrastructure.

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