Aim

Conduct a Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) to prospectively identify the risks related to the preparation and dispensation of chemotherapy drugs at an outpatient unit of a reference center in oncology.

Methods

The first six stages of Failure Mode and Effect Analysis were used to identify dangerous situations and assemble a team; define the process to be analyzed and describe it graphically; apply a host of ideas to identify failure modes; prioritize failure modes and conduct risk analysis; identify potential causes of failure modes and redesign the process.

Results

Seventeen failure modes were identified, two of which were classified as high risk: changing the output window for the drug and miscalculating the intrathecal drug dose.

Conclusions

The possible failure modes related to the process analyzed were identified; in addition, it was possible to define potential causes of these risks.

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