Patient Safety & Risk Management Flashcards
7 cards from real AP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Patient Safety & Risk Management flashcards as text
A patient with type 1 diabetes arrives with an open ulcer on the dorsum of their foot. The BEST course of action is:
Answer: Refer for wound care management and avoid needling in or near the ulcer
Open ulcers in diabetic patients represent impaired healing and high infection risk; needling near or in these areas is contraindicated and medical wound care referral is appropriate.
What does the term 'scope of practice' define for an acupuncture physician?
Answer: The legally defined boundaries of procedures and services an acupuncturist is authorized to perform in their state
Scope of practice is a state-defined legal boundary specifying which procedures, modalities, and patient populations a licensed acupuncture physician is authorized to treat.
A patient experiences a broken needle fragment that remains embedded in the tissue. The immediate action is to:
Answer: Keep the patient still, mark the site, and refer for urgent surgical extraction
A retained broken needle requires immobilizing the patient to prevent migration, marking the site, and urgent referral for imaging-guided surgical extraction.
Which element of a proper acupuncture consent form is MOST critical from a legal risk management perspective?
Answer: Documentation that the patient was informed of material risks and voluntarily agreed to treatment
From a legal standpoint, demonstrating that material risks were disclosed and the patient consented voluntarily is the core element that protects both patient autonomy and the practitioner legally.
A patient taking chemotherapy for breast cancer asks about acupuncture for nausea. The safest approach is to:
Answer: Coordinate with the oncology team, check blood counts, and modify technique based on immune status
Oncology patients require interdisciplinary coordination; neutropenia and thrombocytopenia from chemotherapy alter safe needling parameters and require blood count review before treatment.
Under standard infection control, how should reusable cupping cups be processed between patients?
Answer: Cleaned with soap and water, then disinfected with an EPA-registered intermediate-level disinfectant
Reusable cupping cups are semi-critical items that contact mucous membranes and non-intact skin; they require cleaning followed by intermediate-level disinfection with an EPA-registered disinfectant.
What is the primary reason why acupuncturists should document adverse events and near misses even when no harm occurred?
Answer: To identify patterns, improve safety protocols, and provide legal documentation if future claims arise
Systematic documentation of adverse events and near misses enables pattern recognition, quality improvement, and provides contemporaneous legal documentation that supports risk management.