CED Quality Control & Process Improvement 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is an example of a 'leading indicator' in dispatch center quality management?
- Number of complaints received last quarter
- Dispatcher training hours completed this month (Correct answer)
- Percentage of calls that resulted in adverse outcomes
- Annual turnover rate
Correct answer: Dispatcher training hours completed this month
Training hours completed is a leading indicator because it predicts future performance before outcomes are realized.
Question 2: During a peer review session, one dispatcher gives another dispatcher an inflated score to avoid conflict. This behavior is known as:
- Halo effect
- Leniency bias (Correct answer)
- Central tendency error
- Recency bias
Correct answer: Leniency bias
Leniency bias occurs when reviewers assign higher scores than performance warrants, often to avoid uncomfortable feedback.
Question 3: A Certified Emergency Dispatcher is reviewing a call where the dispatcher asked unnecessary questions before confirming the address. Which QC dimension does this PRIMARILY affect?
- Accuracy
- Empathy
- Efficiency (Correct answer)
- Documentation
Correct answer: Efficiency
Asking unnecessary questions delays life-safety information gathering, directly reducing call efficiency.
Question 4: What is the purpose of 'calibration sessions' in a dispatch QC program?
- To update CAD software settings
- To ensure evaluators apply scoring criteria consistently across the team (Correct answer)
- To train dispatchers on new radio procedures
- To benchmark the center against national averages
Correct answer: To ensure evaluators apply scoring criteria consistently across the team
Calibration sessions align evaluators on how to score calls so that QC results are reliable and comparable across reviewers.
Question 5: Under APCO and NENA standards, what minimum percentage of a dispatcher's calls should typically be reviewed monthly in a structured QC program?
- 1–2%
- 5–10% (Correct answer)
- 25–30%
- 50%
Correct answer: 5–10%
Industry standards generally recommend reviewing 5–10% of calls monthly to provide a statistically valid sample without overburdening QC staff.
Question 6: A dispatcher correctly interrogates a caller but documents the wrong priority code in the CAD system. This error is BEST categorized as:
- Protocol deviation
- Documentation error (Correct answer)
- Communication failure
- Triage error
Correct answer: Documentation error
Entering an incorrect priority code in CAD is a documentation error because the verbal performance was correct but the record is inaccurate.
Question 7: Which concept describes making small, continuous, incremental improvements to dispatch processes rather than large, infrequent overhauls?
- Benchmarking
- Kaizen (Correct answer)
- Six Sigma
- Reengineering
Correct answer: Kaizen
Kaizen is a Japanese philosophy of continuous, incremental improvement widely applied in quality management programs.
CED Quality Control & Process Improvement 3
Which of the following is an example of a 'leading indicator' in dispatch center quality management?