Risk Assessment & Management Flashcards
7 cards from real CNE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Risk Assessment & Management flashcards as text
A nurse educator reviews data showing a unit has a high rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs). When teaching about CAUTI prevention, which intervention has the STRONGEST evidence base?
Answer: Prompt removal of urinary catheters when no longer clinically indicated
The most evidence-based CAUTI prevention strategy is removing urinary catheters as soon as they are no longer medically necessary.
When teaching students about medication high-alert drugs, a nurse educator should emphasize that these medications require special safeguards because they:
Answer: Bear a heightened risk of causing significant patient harm when used in error
High-alert medications are defined by ISMP as those bearing a heightened risk of causing significant patient harm when used in error, regardless of frequency of use.
A nurse educator facilitating debriefing after a simulation notices a student blames a peer for a simulated patient's deterioration. The educator's BEST action is to:
Answer: Redirect focus to system factors and communication breakdowns that contributed to the outcome
Effective debriefing redirects blame toward systemic and team communication factors, reinforcing a systems-thinking approach to risk analysis.
A nurse educator teaches students that the Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) are updated annually PRIMARILY to:
Answer: Address evolving, high-priority safety risks identified through sentinel event data
NPSGs are revised annually based on analysis of sentinel event data and emerging safety concerns identified by The Joint Commission.
Which type of clinical error involves a nurse correctly assessing a patient's deterioration but failing to escalate care due to fear of the physician's reaction?
Answer: Chilling effect / authority gradient failure
Authority gradient failure (chilling effect) occurs when a nurse identifies a risk but does not escalate due to perceived hierarchy, creating a preventable delay in care.
A nurse educator evaluates a student's risk assessment documentation. Which finding indicates a gap requiring additional teaching?
Answer: The student listed 'patient at risk for falls' without specifying the level or interventions
Documenting a vague risk statement without a validated score or corresponding interventions fails to meet the standard of meaningful risk assessment documentation.
A nurse educator teaches students about 'normalization of deviance' in clinical practice. This concept BEST describes:
Answer: Gradual acceptance of unsafe shortcuts as standard practice when nothing bad happens
Normalization of deviance is the gradual process by which repeated protocol violations without immediate consequences become accepted as normal practice, increasing risk over time.