We all make errors every day. In healthcare, the errors we make can harm our patients. When such an event happens, the institution owes it not only to the patient but also to the staff involved in an event, as well as to future patients who may be similarly harmed, to learn from the event and to prevent similar events from happening again. There are various types of Cause Analysis, or tools used to analyze the causes of certain events. Usually such tools are used to study an undesired outcome, and in healthcare, these are often used to study adverse events. This chapter will describe the process of performing a Root Cause Analysis for serious events, as well as touch upon the concepts of Apparent Cause Analysis for less serious events and Common Cause Analysis to look for themes across events. Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA), related to Cause Analysis, is described separately in Chapter 10.

There are numerous potential benefits associated with electrified aircraft propulsion (EAP). Achieving economical and safe EAP in transport aircraft would constitute an enormous leap forward in aviation. However, as with all potential engineering breakthroughs, the devil is in the details. This chapter begins to examine some of these details by introducing the electric power system (EPS) and summarizing its design, control, and protection functions. With the electrification of propulsion systems, EPS power levels (i.e., generation, distribution, and loads) are expected to increase by at least an order of magnitude, with far-reaching implications on the overall system design. Since all aspects of the EPS will be impacted, a thorough understanding and appreciation of the EPS and its functions is necessary to fully comprehend the challenges ahead. Several key EPS components and functions are described, and the solid foundation provided by the material in this chapter prepares the reader for the focused discussions of individual system components that follow in subsequent chapters.