Abstract
Background With the rapid implementation of cystic fibrosis (CF) newborn screening (NBS), quality improvement (QI) has become essential to identify and prevent errors. Using Process Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (PFMEA), we adapted this method to determine if it could be applied to discover and rank high priority QI opportunities. Methods Site visits to three programmes were conducted, and PFMEA exercises were accomplished in Colorado, Massachusetts and Wisconsin with 23 experienced professionals. During each of these comprehensive sessions, participants identified and ranked potential failures based on severity, occurrence and detection to calculate risk priority number (RPN) values. Results A total of 96 failure modes were generated and ranked in a list of the 20 riskiest problems that show no significant discordances by site, although there were differences by profession of the rater, particularly nurses. Conclusions Our results illustrate that the PFMEA method applies well to CF NBS and that steps requiring communication and information transfer are perceived to be the highest risks. The number of identified failures makes and their potential impact demonstrate considerable overall risk and a need for ongoing QI.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
