Practice Test Geeks(ABFM) American Board of Family Medicine Practice Test
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Quality Assurance and Improvement Flashcards

7 cards from real ABFM 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 Assurance and Improvement flashcards as text

  1. A family medicine practice wants to reduce diabetic patient HbA1c values above 9%. Which QI model is most appropriate for rapid, iterative testing of interventions?

    Answer: Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle

    The PDSA cycle is designed for rapid, small-scale iterative testing and learning, making it the standard model for QI in clinical settings.

  2. Which statistical tool is most useful for determining whether variation in a process is due to common cause or special cause?

    Answer: Control chart (run chart with control limits)

    Control charts distinguish common cause (random) variation from special cause (assignable) variation using statistically derived control limits.

  3. A practice is analyzing why patients miss follow-up appointments. Staff use a structured diagram to categorize causes into manpower, methods, materials, and environment. What tool are they using?

    Answer: Cause-and-effect (Ishikawa/fishbone) diagram

    The Ishikawa (fishbone or cause-and-effect) diagram organizes potential causes of a problem into standard categories for systematic analysis.

  4. In healthcare quality improvement, what does 'reliability' most accurately refer to?

    Answer: The consistent execution of evidence-based care every time it is indicated

    Reliability in QI refers to the consistent delivery of evidence-based interventions to all eligible patients every time, often measured in defects per opportunity.

  5. A physician wants to improve colorectal cancer screening rates. The first step of the Model for Improvement asks which foundational question?

    Answer: What are we trying to accomplish?

    The Model for Improvement's first question is 'What are we trying to accomplish?' which defines the aim of the QI project.

  6. Which measure type tracks whether a QI intervention itself causes unintended harm or negative consequences?

    Answer: Balancing measure

    Balancing measures assess whether changes made to improve one part of a system negatively affect other parts.

  7. A Lean QI approach in a primary care office focuses primarily on eliminating which of the following?

    Answer: Waste and non-value-added steps in care delivery

    Lean methodology focuses on identifying and eliminating waste (muda) and non-value-added activities to improve flow and efficiency.