Safety and Compliance 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 Safety and Compliance flashcards as text
A patient over 65 is prescribed a benzodiazepine for chronic insomnia. According to the Beers Criteria, this prescription:
Answer: Should be avoided due to increased risk of falls, fractures, and cognitive impairment
The AGS Beers Criteria explicitly lists benzodiazepines as potentially inappropriate in older adults due to increased risk of cognitive impairment, delirium, falls, and fractures.
A physician receives a subpoena for a patient's medical records in a legal case. The most appropriate response is to:
Answer: Comply with the subpoena after consulting legal counsel and notifying the patient if appropriate
Receiving a subpoena requires legal guidance; records may need to be released, but the patient should be notified and legal counsel consulted before compliance.
Which element is essential for valid informed consent for a surgical procedure?
Answer: Disclosure of the procedure's nature, risks, benefits, and alternatives
Valid informed consent requires that the patient be told about the nature of the procedure, material risks, expected benefits, and reasonable alternatives including no treatment.
In a root cause analysis (RCA) following an adverse event, what is the primary goal?
Answer: To identify system failures and prevent future similar events
RCA focuses on identifying underlying system and process failures rather than individual blame, with the goal of implementing systemic improvements to prevent recurrence.
A patient who is an undocumented immigrant presents for care. Under HIPAA, the physician's obligations regarding this patient's PHI are:
Answer: The same as for any other patient — full HIPAA protections apply
HIPAA protections apply equally to all patients regardless of immigration status, citizenship, or documentation.
The National Patient Safety Goal requiring a 'time-out' procedure before surgery is designed to prevent:
Answer: Wrong-site, wrong-procedure, wrong-patient errors
The surgical time-out is a final verification step requiring all team members to confirm correct patient identity, procedure, and surgical site before incision.
When prescribing schedule II controlled substances in most U.S. states, which requirement applies?
Answer: Electronic prescribing for controlled substances (EPCS) or tamper-resistant paper prescriptions are required
Schedule II substances require either EPCS-compliant electronic prescribing or tamper-resistant paper prescriptions; no refills are permitted for Schedule II medications.