Quality Improvement Flashcards
7 cards from real AHIC 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 QI team discovers that medication errors spike every Tuesday afternoon. Using the PDSA cycle, what is the appropriate FIRST step?
Answer: Plan a small test of change based on a theory about why Tuesdays are different
The PDSA cycle begins with the Plan phase, where the team identifies a theory about the problem, plans a specific change to test, and predicts what will happen.
Which measure type directly assesses whether care processes are being performed correctly according to evidence-based guidelines?
Answer: Process measure
Process measures assess whether specific evidence-based steps in care delivery are being performed, such as the proportion of diabetic patients receiving annual foot exams.
An informatics team implements a clinical decision support rule to reduce inappropriate opioid prescribing. Six months later, providers report alert fatigue. Which strategy BEST addresses this while maintaining safety?
Answer: Increase alert specificity by refining triggers to reduce non-actionable alerts
Increasing alert specificity—ensuring alerts fire only when clinically meaningful—reduces alert fatigue while preserving the safety benefit of CDS by eliminating low-value interruptions.
The Quadruple Aim expands the Triple Aim by adding which fourth dimension?
Answer: Improving the work life and well-being of healthcare providers
The Quadruple Aim adds improving the work life and well-being of healthcare clinicians and staff to the original Triple Aim, recognizing that provider burnout undermines care quality.
A hospital implements a new sepsis protocol. The QI team uses a run chart to monitor compliance over 16 weeks. How many consecutive data points above the median are required to signal a non-random shift using standard run chart rules?
Answer: 8
Standard run chart rules signal a non-random shift when 8 or more consecutive data points fall on the same side of the median, indicating a meaningful change in the process.
Which of the following BEST describes the difference between quality assurance (QA) and quality improvement (QI)?
Answer: QA focuses on inspection and meeting minimum standards; QI focuses on continuous system improvement
Quality assurance traditionally focuses on detecting defects through inspection and ensuring compliance with standards, while quality improvement focuses on continuously improving systems and processes to achieve better outcomes.
A health system wants to compare its 30-day readmission rate against peer hospitals. Which approach provides the most valid comparison by accounting for patient population differences?
Answer: Risk-adjusted readmission rates controlling for patient demographics and comorbidities
Risk adjustment statistically controls for differences in patient case mix (age, comorbidities, severity) across hospitals, enabling valid comparisons of performance that reflect the quality of care rather than patient population characteristics.