Root Cause Thinking (Causal Reasoning)
Definition
Always think of the root cause of the patient’s problem. If the disease / illness is the weed then we can only treat it by identifying it’s root. A lot of the time, as clinicians, we simply & only treat the symptom (i.e. pain) or test result (i.e. hypokalaemia) – think of the root cause!
How to Apply
Start by always questioning what caused the primary presentation – the fall? the seizure? the hyponatraemia? the delirium? In the context of front door medicine – what drove the patient to come into hospital. You will be surprised at the fact that the majority of root causes cannot be cured / fixed as it is the result of years of progressive frailty & chronic disease burden (i.e. vascular disease & lifestyle factors). You will also realize that a lot of patients do not need to come into hospital or stay in for a long time!
The Acute Mind 