Which organization is expected to conduct a root cause analysis within 45 days after a sentinel event?

The Joint Commission is responsible for conducting a root cause analysis within 45 days after a sentinel event. This requirement reflects the organization’s commitment to patient safety and quality improvement in healthcare settings. The Joint Commission requires accredited organizations to identify underlying causes of sentinel events—unexpected occurrences that result in death or serious physical or psychological injury—so that they can prevent similar events in the future.

Root cause analysis is a systematic process that allows organizations to dig deeper into the factors leading to the event, examining processes, systems, and potential weaknesses in care delivery. By enforcing this timeline, The Joint Commission ensures that organizations take immediate action to learn from these serious events, thereby enhancing overall care quality and patient safety.

In contrast, the other organizations mentioned play different roles within the healthcare and public health systems. The World Health Organization focuses on global health issues but does not conduct individual facility investigations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is primarily involved in disease prevention and control, while the National Institutes of Health is centered on biomedical research and does not engage in sentinel event analysis in healthcare organizations.