The Swiss Cheese Model is primarily used for what purpose?

The Swiss Cheese Model is primarily utilized for risk analysis and management, particularly in fields like healthcare and safety management. This model illustrates how various layers of defense or barriers (represented by slices of cheese) can prevent errors and mitigate risks. Each slice of cheese has holes, which symbolize potential weaknesses or failures. When these holes align across multiple layers, it creates a pathway for failure to occur, leading to adverse outcomes.

In the context of healthcare, applying the Swiss Cheese Model allows organizations to identify and address risks systematically by reinforcing each layer. This proactive approach is critical in preventing errors, enhancing patient safety, and improving overall healthcare delivery. The model emphasizes the importance of an integrated safety system where multiple safeguards are in place to catch potential errors before they reach the patient, thus providing a comprehensive strategy for risk management.

In contrast, the other options relate to different aspects of healthcare and management. Researching new medical treatments focuses on advancing clinical knowledge and developing therapeutic interventions, while patient satisfaction improvement targets enhancing the quality of patient experience. Clinical scheduling optimization involves the effective management of appointment systems, ensuring that healthcare resources are utilized efficiently. Each of these areas is important in the healthcare field but does not specifically align with the primary focus of the Swiss Cheese Model.