Quality Control & Process Improvement Flashcards
7 cards from real CED 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 Control & Process Improvement flashcards as text
When a QC evaluator rates a dispatcher's entire call negatively because of one early mistake, this is called:
Answer: Horn effect
The horn effect causes an evaluator to let one negative observation unfairly color the assessment of all other aspects of the call.
A dispatch center adopts a new protocol and notices call-handling errors increase for two weeks before declining. This temporary dip is BEST explained by:
Answer: Normal learning curve during implementation
A temporary performance dip after a protocol change is a normal learning curve as dispatchers adapt to new procedures.
Which of the following QC tools would BEST help identify the most frequent types of protocol deviations over a 90-day period?
Answer: Pareto chart
A Pareto chart ranks error types by frequency, helping managers focus improvement efforts on the most impactful issues.
A dispatcher correctly follows protocol but uses a harsh, impatient tone with a frightened caller. Which QC dimension is deficient?
Answer: Customer service / empathy
Tone and interpersonal communication with callers fall under the customer service and empathy dimension of QC evaluation.
In a dispatch QC scoring rubric, a 'critical element' differs from a 'standard element' because:
Answer: Failing a critical element automatically results in an unsatisfactory overall score
Critical elements represent life-safety requirements where any failure automatically produces an unsatisfactory overall call score regardless of other performance.
Which of the following is the BEST description of a 'trend analysis' in dispatch quality management?
Answer: Comparing performance data over successive time periods to identify patterns
Trend analysis examines data across time periods to identify whether performance is improving, declining, or remaining stable.
A dispatch supervisor wants to reduce the time between call answer and first-unit dispatch. Which process improvement approach focuses on eliminating non-value-added steps?
Answer: Lean methodology
Lean methodology targets waste elimination and the removal of non-value-added steps to streamline processes and reduce cycle times.