RHS Quality Improvement & Patient Safety

Question 1

What does the term 'sentinel event' refer to in healthcare quality improvement?

Accepted Answer

An unexpected occurrence involving death or serious physical or psychological injury

Answer

A routine adverse drug event requiring standard documentation

Answer

A minor incident that occurs near a patient without causing harm

Answer

A scheduled safety audit of clinical procedures and policies

Question 2

Which organization developed and annually updates the National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs)?

Accepted Answer

The Joint Commission

Answer

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Answer

Institute for Healthcare Improvement

Answer

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Question 3

A root cause analysis (RCA) in healthcare is primarily used to:

Accepted Answer

Identify underlying system factors that contributed to an adverse event

Answer

Discipline staff members involved in patient errors

Answer

Document all adverse events for mandatory regulatory reporting

Answer

Calculate the financial impact of medical errors on the organization

Question 4

The Swiss Cheese Model of accident causation in patient safety was developed by:

Accepted Answer

James Reason

Answer

Avedis Donabedian

Answer

Lucian Leape

Answer

Peter Pronovost

Question 5

What does PDSA stand for in the quality improvement cycle used in healthcare?

Accepted Answer

Plan, Do, Study, Act

Answer

Plan, Design, Study, Assess

Answer

Prepare, Develop, Sustain, Analyze

Answer

Process, Define, Standardize, Audit

Question 6

Which error prevention technique requires the recipient of a verbal or telephone order to repeat it back to the prescriber?

Accepted Answer

Read-back verification

Answer

SBAR communication

Answer

Time-out procedure

Answer

Bedside shift reporting

Question 7

What is the primary purpose of a 'near miss' reporting system in a healthcare organization?

Accepted Answer

To identify potential hazards and system failures before they cause patient harm

Answer

To penalize staff who make errors before they reach patients

Answer

To document billing discrepancies for insurance review purposes

Answer

To track individual employee performance metrics over time