Patient Care and Safety Flashcards
6 cards from real RMA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Patient Care and Safety flashcards as text
A patient in the waiting room suddenly loses consciousness and collapses. What is the FIRST action the medical assistant should take?
Answer: Assess responsiveness by tapping the patient's shoulder and calling their name
The first step in responding to a collapsed person is to assess responsiveness — tap the shoulder firmly and call the patient's name before initiating any further action, as the patient may simply have fainted.
Which of the following is an example of a 'never event' in healthcare as defined by the National Quality Forum (NQF)?
Answer: Surgery performed on the wrong patient or wrong body part
Wrong-site, wrong-procedure, and wrong-patient surgeries are classified as 'never events' — serious preventable adverse events that should never occur with proper safety protocols like the Universal Protocol (surgical time-out).
A patient is being prepared for a procedure requiring contrast dye. Which patient history finding is MOST important to report to the physician BEFORE the procedure?
Answer: History of shellfish or iodine allergy
Iodine-based contrast media can trigger anaphylaxis in patients with iodine or shellfish allergies; this must be reported to the physician before administration so appropriate precautions or an alternative contrast agent can be selected.
When transferring a patient from a wheelchair to an examination table, which of the following principles should guide the medical assistant's technique?
Answer: Use the patient's strong side as the pivot side; stand on the patient's weak side for support
Using the patient's stronger side as the pivot provides the maximum stability and active patient participation; the medical assistant stands on the weaker side to provide support and prevent falls during the transfer.
A patient reports they are allergic to penicillin. Which other class of antibiotics has a known cross-reactivity risk due to a shared beta-lactam ring structure?
Answer: Cephalosporins (e.g., cephalexin)
Cephalosporins share the beta-lactam ring structure with penicillins, creating a potential (though low, approximately 1–2%) cross-reactivity risk in penicillin-allergic patients that must be considered before prescribing.
Which of the following describes the purpose of the 'fall risk assessment' performed on patients in clinical settings?
Answer: To evaluate a patient's risk of falling using validated criteria so that preventive interventions can be implemented
Fall risk assessment uses validated tools (e.g., Morse Fall Scale, Hendrich II) to score a patient's likelihood of falling based on specific risk factors, enabling targeted interventions to prevent falls before they occur.