How do corrective actions differ from preventive actions in CAPA?

How do corrective actions differ from preventive actions in CAPA?

• A. Preventive actions address the root cause to fix a problem; corrective actions aim to prevent recurrence.
• B. Corrective actions address the root cause to fix a problem; preventive actions aim to prevent recurrence of the problem.
• C. Corrective actions address the root cause to fix a problem; preventive actions aim to fix the root cause too.
• D. Corrective actions are optional; preventive actions are mandatory.

Answer: (B)

In CAPA work, you separate reactive fixes from proactive protection. Corrective actions are taken after a nonconformity is found and target the underlying cause of that problem so the issue can be fixed and, ideally, not come back. Preventive actions are proactive steps designed to stop potential problems from occurring in the first place by addressing root causes before anything fails. Putting it together, the statement that corrective actions address the root cause to fix the problem and preventive actions aim to prevent recurrence of the problem reflects that reactive fixes (corrective) tackle what already happened, while proactive measures (preventive) aim to stop the same or similar problems from happening again. For example, if a batch fails due to a process drift, a corrective action would fix the drift and prevent its recurrence; a preventive action would modify the process or controls to prevent drift from occurring in future batches.

In CAPA work, you separate reactive fixes from proactive protection. Corrective actions are taken after a nonconformity is found and target the underlying cause of that problem so the issue can be fixed and, ideally, not come back. Preventive actions are proactive steps designed to stop potential problems from occurring in the first place by addressing root causes before anything fails.

Putting it together, the statement that corrective actions address the root cause to fix the problem and preventive actions aim to prevent recurrence of the problem reflects that reactive fixes (corrective) tackle what already happened, while proactive measures (preventive) aim to stop the same or similar problems from happening again. For example, if a batch fails due to a process drift, a corrective action would fix the drift and prevent its recurrence; a preventive action would modify the process or controls to prevent drift from occurring in future batches.