Contributing factor	Description
Clinical evaluation and decision-making	Deficient histories and general evaluation. Issue involving a provider’s decision-making related to the selection and management of patient care.
Deficient knowledge, skills, or technique	Issue involving a provider’s clinical knowledge, skill, technique, training, or education.
Procedural violations	Issue or violation involving: – Administrative policies and procedures of a physician’s office, clinic, institution, or regional health authority that are designed to prevent or mitigate error. – Clinical practice guidelines specified by a regulatory authority (college or government) or specialty. – Common clinical tasks as per a standard checklist, protocol, care map, clinical pathway, and decision tree; specified by institution, department, or care team. – Wrong application or improper use of healthcare equipment.
Misidentification of anatomy	Intervention inadvertently performed on incorrect anatomical structure or organ. Includes mistaking one structure for another.
Delayed recognition of injury	Misdiagnosis, missed diagnosis, or delay in diagnosis.
Informed consent	Issue involving the discussion or documentation of the risks, limitations, side effects or alternative options of a diagnostic test or therapeutic intervention (e.g., pharmacotherapy, surgery).
Documentation	Inadequate documentation or delay or failure to complete documentation (written or electronic). Including ambiguous, deficient, or illegible medical records.
Equipment or resource issue	Faulty or malfunctioning healthcare equipment. Insufficient or unavailable healthcare resources; including beds, staff, equipment.
System administrative protocols	Issue involving an institutions administrative policies and procedures designed to prevent or mitigate error.

CMPA = Canadian Medical Protective Association.