Applicability of Healthcare Failure Mode and Effects Analysis to healthcare epidemiology: evaluation of the sterilization and use of surgical instruments.

Healthcare Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (HFMEA) is a methodology for correcting latent system errors before they lead to adverse events. We examined the utility of HFMEA in evaluating the sterilization and use of surgical instruments. First, a multidisciplinary team graphed the process in a flow diagram.