Taxonometric guidance for developing quality assurance

A taxonomy is an ordered classification system. In error reduction analysis, an examination of the human failures that lead to an event often uses a taxonomy to classify the failures according to some aspect of their characteristics. These classifications provide insights into the forces that kept the persons involved from achieving their intended actions. They also can provide guidance for changing the situation to prevent failure in the future. For example, the corrective action would be different if a therapist pressed the wrong button because several buttons looked alike or they forgot which button to press. Different types of failures lead to particular types of remediation. Taxonomies can provide guidance in selecting between possible corrective actions. (c) 2008 Elsevier Inc.