K
karha096
Through the years I have come across a lot of different views on the following terms:
- Correction
- Corrective action
- Preventive action
Since this is a global forum I thought it could be interesting to discuss these terms here.
This is how I have always used the words myself:
- CORRECTION is an action that serves to fix the actual and immediate problem. If a device has broken, the typical correction would be to repair or replace that device. If an internal audit spots an untrained temporary employee, the correction would likely be to train that specific employee.
- CORRECTIVE ACTION is an action that serves to prevent the problem from happening again. If a device broke because of a design flaw, the typical corrective action would be to adjust the design. It could also involve recalling functional devices from the market to either replace or adjust them (to prevent the problem from recurring). It could also involve things like internal training, changes in quality control procedures to handle the actual root cause of the problem.
- PREVENTIVE ACTION is pretty much the same thing as a corrective action, but term is used for actions taken as a precaution, to prevent a potential problem from happening. Say for example that an engineer spots a design flaw that could cause a malfunction under odd conditions or a team identifies the need for a safety feature to handle a previously overlooked series of events that could potentially harm a patient.
But like I said, I have seen other ways of using these terms and it would be interesting to see what you have to say.
- Correction
- Corrective action
- Preventive action
Since this is a global forum I thought it could be interesting to discuss these terms here.
This is how I have always used the words myself:
- CORRECTION is an action that serves to fix the actual and immediate problem. If a device has broken, the typical correction would be to repair or replace that device. If an internal audit spots an untrained temporary employee, the correction would likely be to train that specific employee.
- CORRECTIVE ACTION is an action that serves to prevent the problem from happening again. If a device broke because of a design flaw, the typical corrective action would be to adjust the design. It could also involve recalling functional devices from the market to either replace or adjust them (to prevent the problem from recurring). It could also involve things like internal training, changes in quality control procedures to handle the actual root cause of the problem.
- PREVENTIVE ACTION is pretty much the same thing as a corrective action, but term is used for actions taken as a precaution, to prevent a potential problem from happening. Say for example that an engineer spots a design flaw that could cause a malfunction under odd conditions or a team identifies the need for a safety feature to handle a previously overlooked series of events that could potentially harm a patient.
But like I said, I have seen other ways of using these terms and it would be interesting to see what you have to say.