What is the purpose of root-cause analysis in addressing sentinel events or rights violations?

• A. To guide effective corrective actions and prevent recurrence.
• B. To assign blame to individuals.
• C. To determine whether to close the facility.
• D. To justify minimal action.

Answer: (A)

Root-cause analysis in this context aims to identify the underlying failures in systems, processes, or conditions that allowed a sentinel event or rights violation to occur, so that corrective actions can address those fundamental factors and prevent recurrence. It emphasizes learning and system improvement over punishing individuals, and it guides changes such as revised policies, redesigned workflows, added safeguards, training, or resource adjustments. This makes it the best choice because the goal is to implement meaningful fixes that reduce the chance of repeating the event, not to justify minimal action or place blame.