In healthcare, RCAs are often used in quality improvement efforts to understand why undesirable incidents happen and then use those findings to minimize recurrence.

Applying a health equity lens to common RCA tools such as process-mapping, the “5-Whys,” and Fishbone Diagrams, poses additional questions and seeks answers to equity-related health issues experienced by specific populations or groups of people. 

When applying a health equity lens to any of these RCAs, the focus shifts to specifically uncovering health disparities to address root causes of problems. Once the root cause has been established through the eye of the health equity lens, a plan can be put in place to improve inequitable outcomes.

This roadmap provides detailed examples of how to apply a health equity lens to RCA tools.