How do corrective action and preventive action differ?

• A. Corrective action fixes a known issue; preventive action addresses potential issues before they occur.
• B. Preventive action fixes known issues after they occur.
• C. Corrective action and preventive action are identical.
• D. Neither addresses root causes.

Answer: (A)

Corrective action and preventive action serve different goals within a CAPA mindset. Corrective action focuses on fixing a problem that has already occurred and stopping it from happening again by addressing the root cause and implementing fixes for the current issue. Preventive action, on the other hand, looks ahead to identify potential causes of problems and puts in place controls or changes to prevent those issues from arising in the first place.

For example, if a defect is found in a batch, corrective action would repair or replace the affected items and investigate why the defect happened so it won’t recur. Preventive action would update the process, add an early detection step, or train staff to reduce the likelihood that a similar defect could occur in the future.

Choices suggesting that preventive action fixes known issues after they occur, that the two actions are identical, or that neither addresses root causes don’t fit with how CAPA differentiates reactive fixes from proactive prevention.