CPSA CPSA MCQ 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following best describes a 'near miss' in patient safety terminology?
- An event that caused minor harm to a patient
- An unsafe act that reaches the patient but causes no harm
- An event that was caught before reaching the patient (Correct answer)
- A medication error that required intervention
Correct answer: An event that was caught before reaching the patient
A near miss is an event or situation that did not produce patient injury but only because of chance or timely intervention.
Question 2: The 'Swiss Cheese Model' of accident causation was developed by which theorist?
- James Reason (Correct answer)
- Charles Vincent
- Lucian Leape
- Don Berwick
Correct answer: James Reason
James Reason developed the Swiss Cheese Model, which illustrates how multiple system failures align to allow errors to cause harm.
Question 3: Which accreditation body requires hospitals to conduct a root cause analysis (RCA) following a sentinel event?
- CMS
- The Joint Commission (Correct answer)
- AHRQ
- OSHA
Correct answer: The Joint Commission
The Joint Commission requires accredited organizations to perform an RCA and develop an action plan after any sentinel event.
Question 4: A hospital's patient safety officer wants to prioritize risks using a proactive tool. Which method is MOST appropriate?
- Root Cause Analysis
- Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) (Correct answer)
- Significant Event Audit
- Cause-and-Effect Diagram
Correct answer: Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
FMEA is a proactive, prospective tool used to identify potential failure modes in a process before harm occurs.
Question 5: Which of the following is an example of a latent error in a healthcare system?
- A nurse administering the wrong dose
- A surgeon operating on the wrong site
- A poorly designed medication labeling system (Correct answer)
- A patient falling from a hospital bed
Correct answer: A poorly designed medication labeling system
Latent errors are systemic conditions, such as poor design or inadequate policies, that lie dormant until triggered by active errors.
Question 6: Which communication technique is recommended for handoff situations to reduce information gaps?
- SBAR
- TeamSTEPPS
- CUS
- I-PASS (Correct answer)
Correct answer: I-PASS
I-PASS (Illness severity, Patient summary, Action list, Situation awareness, Synthesis by receiver) is specifically designed as a structured handoff communication tool.
Question 7: In a just culture framework, a healthcare worker who makes a reckless choice resulting in patient harm would MOST likely face:
- No disciplinary action, as blame is never assigned
- Consoling support only
- Coaching and remedial training
- Disciplinary action (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Disciplinary action
In a just culture, reckless behavior—where risk is knowingly and unjustifiably taken—warrants disciplinary action, unlike human error or at-risk behavior.
CPSA CPSA MCQ 2
Which of the following best describes a 'near miss' in patient safety terminology?