Organizations and Investigation Programs - Essay Example

"Organizations and Investigation Programs" is a wonderful example of a paper on the health system.
Organizations and companies always conduct investigations when something wrong or unusual takes place in the organization. Investigations are most often conducted through programs structured by the management. The programs dictate the mode of the investigation if the investigation is necessary and the consequences to be faced after the investigations. However, the programs are also opposed to investigations if the matter will put the organization at high risk. The main goal of investigation programs is to determine the root cause of a problem and conduct a proper analysis of the problem, and then provide the organization with the recommendations and steps to be taken regarding the matter.  

Investigations should be followed according to specific standards. This reduces the level of risk which both the organization and employees are going to face. In matters of health and safety, the staff should be fully involved in the investigations. In this kind of investigation, employee safety should be a priority. To meet the required standards, the human resource department should be handled with the task of researching all employees and provide medical backgrounds. In investigating incidences that have environmental and quality effects, an organization should use specialization. This refers to a specific unit given the responsibility of conducting these investigations. The unit should have the required knowledge and the standards to tackle environmental and quality issues.   

According to Lisa (2010), a well-structured investigation program can be very effective. However, if the structure is not well organized it may put an organization at a very high level of risk. Most importantly, the structure should provide the most suitable location and time of the investigation. Additionally, the structure should be able to overcome manipulation. Manipulation of investigative results can completely give a different scenario of the real incident. The structure should also be formed in a way there is witness protection. Witnesses should be protected from manipulation and threats. This will have a positive impact on investigative results. The structure should be also in a position to provide a follow up on the implementation of its recommendations.  

Organizations have different scenarios in which root-cause analysis can be conducted. To be more accurate and brief, situations that urgently need analysis are selected. The selection is done by the consideration of urgency, level of impact, and the depth of harm if a problem is to arise from the situation. Additionally, the situations should make candidates of analysis if it is really necessary. After the selection of situations for analysis, the root cause analysis is then conducted in the selected situations. All parties involved are quizzed and the required information is obtained. The information is then analyzed and the weak link is identified.  

In some instances, the organization opts to deal with symptoms than to do away with the cause. Some causes may require a large amount of finance to do away with. In another scenario, dealing with the symptoms may cost more than removing the cause. The cost cause is mostly measured by the depth of risk a situation puts an organization into.  

An example of a root cause analysis in health care can be explained in the case where a certain medical practice has been having a shortage of medical gloves and syringes. According to the supplier, the supplied gloves and syringes are enough for the practice. This means that it is an internal problem. The organization investigates to find the root cause of the shortage.