Quality Improvement Flashcards
7 cards from real CPHRM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Quality Improvement flashcards as text
A Pareto chart is used in quality improvement to:
Answer: Identify the few causes responsible for most problems
A Pareto chart displays problems in descending frequency to identify the vital few causes that account for most errors, based on the 80/20 rule.
In healthcare quality improvement, 'benchmarking' refers to:
Answer: Comparing performance metrics against best practices or top performers
Benchmarking compares an organization's processes and outcomes against recognized leaders or industry standards to identify performance gaps.
Which quality improvement tool would be MOST appropriate for identifying all possible causes of medication errors in an emergency department?
Answer: Fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram
A fishbone diagram organizes potential causes of a problem into categories (people, process, equipment, environment) to facilitate comprehensive root cause exploration.
A hospital's quality improvement team wants to test a small-scale change before full implementation. They should use which model?
Answer: Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle
The PDSA cycle is designed for small, rapid tests of change that allow teams to learn and refine interventions before broad implementation.
Patient harm events are classified by severity level. Which classification system does the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP) use?
Answer: A through I index categories
NCC MERP uses Categories A through I to classify medication errors from no harm potential (A) to death (I).
Which of the following BEST describes 'high reliability organizations' (HROs) in healthcare?
Answer: Organizations that consistently minimize harm despite operating in complex, high-risk environments
HROs are characterized by a persistent preoccupation with failure, sensitivity to operations, commitment to resilience, and deference to expertise at all levels.
In quality improvement, a 'tracer methodology' used by The Joint Commission involves:
Answer: Following a patient's care experience through the organization to evaluate system performance
Tracer methodology follows an individual patient's care journey through the organization to evaluate actual compliance with standards and identify system gaps.