What is a fishbone diagram in health care?

A fishbone diagram in health care, also known as an Ishikawa diagram or cause and effect diagram, is a patient safety tool that is used to explore the root cause of a health problem or condition.

This is an example of a fishbone diagram that is used to pinpoint the causes of obesity.

As the name suggests, a fishbone diagram resembles the skeleton of a fish. The main problem or outcome makes up the fish’s ‘head’ while the bones of the skeleton or the ‘ribs’ contain the possible root causes.

Instead of focusing on symptoms, a fishbone diagram separates the problem from its contributing factors to facilitate quality management in patient care