Augmenting health care failure modes and effects analysis with simulation.

ABSTRACT

This study explores whether simulation plays a role in health care failure mode and effects analysis (HFMEA); it does this by evaluating whether additional data are found when a traditional HFMEA is augmented with simulation. Two multidisciplinary teams identified vulnerabilities in a process by brainstorming, followed by simulation. Two means of adding simulation were investigated as follows just simulating the process and interrupting the simulation between substeps of the process. By adding simulation to a traditional HFMEA, both multidisciplinary teams identified additional data that were relevant for deeper analysis. The study indicates that simulation has a role in HFMEA. Both ways of using simulation seemed feasible, and our results are not conclusive in selecting one over the other.