RN Exam Practice
Safety and Infection ControlQuestion 76 of 2368

A medication error occurred after two look-alike drugs were stored side by side in a dispensing machine. What is the main goal of the root cause analysis that follows?

  1. Find the system problems that made the error likely, not only individual mistakes
  2. Identify which nurse made the error so that person can be formally disciplined
  3. Decide whether the error should be kept out of any official incident report
  4. Prove that the nurse skipped one of the required medication safety checks
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Correct answer: Find the system problems that made the error likely, not only individual mistakes

Root cause analysis looks for hidden system problems. It avoids focusing only on the mistakes of individuals.

Source: Nursing Fundamentals, 2nd edition (Open RN, Chippewa Valley Technical College, 2024), Safety: Sentinel Events. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Practice the topic "Safety and Infection Control"

Questions last reviewed: 18 October 2026