Introduction
Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) has been in use for many years and is used extensively in automotive, aviation and healthcare sectors. FMEA is used for analyzing design or processes for potential failure.
The main aim of FMEA is to reduce risk of failure. Therefore there are two types in general use;
- DFMEA for analyzing potential design failures and;
- PFMEA for analyzing process failures
Another terms is being used for analyzing healthcare related processes known as HFMEA.
For example, a small organization engaged in bidding for high-tech devices successfully used an FMEA to identity and assess risks for a product never made before. Similarly, healthcare providers want to analyze the medication ordering and dispensing system for potential failures; FMEA will be a suitable tool for it.