Patient Safety Principles Flashcards

Which safety strategy uses redundant independent checks to catch errors before they reach the patient?

Answer: Layered defenses

Layered defenses (as in the Swiss Cheese Model) use multiple independent barriers so that if one fails, others catch the error.

The 'five rights' of medication administration are patient, medication, dose, route, and:

Answer: Time

The traditional five rights of medication administration are the right patient, drug, dose, route, and time.

An ICU implements a daily goals checklist completed by the multidisciplinary team. The primary safety benefit is:

Answer: Improving shared mental model and coordinated care

Daily goals checklists improve the shared mental model among team members, reducing miscommunication and care gaps.

Which concept describes a system designed so that the safest action is also the easiest action to perform?

Answer: Default safe design

Default safe design makes the safe option the path of least resistance, reducing reliance on staff vigilance.

In the context of patient safety, 'reliability' refers to:

Answer: The probability that a system performs its intended function without failure

Reliability in safety science is the probability of a system performing its intended function successfully under stated conditions.

A patient receives the wrong blood type during a transfusion. The MOST important immediate action by the nurse is to:

Answer: Stop the transfusion and assess the patient

Stopping the transfusion immediately and assessing the patient is the priority action to minimize harm from an acute hemolytic reaction.

Which term describes an event that did not cause patient harm but had the potential to do so if not intercepted?

Answer: Near miss (close call)

A near miss is an unplanned event that did not result in harm but could have under slightly different circumstances.